Yellow Lentils with Spinach and Ginger

This is a straight adaptation of the recipe published in the cookbook " The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook." Dee was in a bookstore one afternoon whiling her time when she happened to come across this book. She liked the recipe for it's simplicity and texture. After she discussed it with Chai, who was also excited about the recipe, they decided to give it a try. The recipe reminded us very much of the dal fry that we love. Another attraction was the nutritional contents of the dish- it is a healthy meal loaded with proteins, greens and the essential spices. Thus, happened the birth of this recipe in our home. We ate it with plain white rice and found that this dish overpowered it just a little. Hence we suggest eating it with whole wheat chapatis or as a side.

We are dedicating this recipe to TBC of the "The Budding Cook" as she requested for a vegetarian recipe and we promised to post one soon dedicating it to her!



Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins

1 cup yellow lentils(toor dal)
2 medium sized shallots
1/2 cup frozen and thawed spinach
1 1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup thin coconut milk
2 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp black sesame seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan. Add the shallots, ginger, curry powder and turmeric powder. Saute for 2 mins. Add the dal( rinsed and drained), stock and milk. Stir well. Lower the heat to low and cook covered for 20 mins. Remove cover, add spinach and salt, and cook further till done. Keep the lid covered. Cook till the lentils get mushy. Garnish with coriander leaves and sesame seeds.

Note: 1) If you want a shorter cooking time, pressure cook the dal with 1 tsp of salt before hand and repeat the same procedure.
2) You can replace black sesame seeds with white seeds. In this case, toast the sesame in a heated skillet( no oil)till the seeds turn light brown.
3) Vegetable stock or broth can be used instead of chicken stock. We prefer chicken stock as it adds more body to the dish.

Note: If using fresh spinach use 1 cup instead of 1/2.

Enjoy!