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The Amazing Rice: Indian Rice With Red Lentils

partysugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:30:43 -0700

Like David Chang, I believe this year is all about rice. It's a delicious and ancient staple consumed by more than half the world's population. There are more than 7,000 varieties of rice and countless cultural preparations, so I've decided it's time to race around the world in the comforts of my own kitchen. Naturally I'm inviting you to join me on my rice adventures as I travel the globe experimenting with risotto, sushi, gumbo, and everything in between. To get things started, let's head to India with this rice and lentils with raita. It's healthy, fast, and delicious. Learn how I made it and read more.

Indian Rice and Lentils with Raita
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
5 whole black peppercorns
5 cardamom pods
5 whole cloves
2 dried red chiles
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup jasmine rice or other long-grain rice, rinsed
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
3 1/2 cups hot water
Kosher salt
1 medium cucumber-peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
1 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
2 jalapeños, seeded and very finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, very finely chopped
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil. Add the sliced onions and cook them over high heat, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer half of the onions to a plate.

Add the peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, chiles and cinnamon stick to the onions in the saucepan and cook over moderately high heat for 1 minute, stirring.
Stir in the rice, lentils, water and 2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderately low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the rice and lentils are tender.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss the sliced cucumber with the yogurt, jalapeños and garlic and season with salt and pepper.

Gently fluff the rice and lentils with a fork and discard the whole spices. Transfer the rice to a platter, garnish with the reserved onions and serve with the cucumber raita.

Serves 4.

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Reader Recipe: Vegetable and Red Lentil Soup

YumSugar — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 07:02:18 -0800

There's still a few days left in January, and that means there's still some time to celebrate National Soup Month! Today's soup comes from reader twinkle! Her Vegetable and Red Lentil Soup caught my eye and I have been dying to try it ever since I saw it.

To check out her recipe, read more

Recipe from twinkle

Ingredients:

2 Tbs mild curry paste
1 can crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock
1 large carrot, chopped finely
2 trimmed celery sticks, chopped finely
1 medium size potato, chopped finely
1 large zucchini, chopped finely
3/4 cup red lentils
1/2 frozen peas
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 Tbs coarsely chopped cilantro

Method:
Cook curry paste in large heated saucepan, stirring until fragrant. Add undrained crushed tomatoes, stock, carrot, celery, potato and zucchini, bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered for 5 minutes.

Add lentils to soup mixture; return to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes or until lentils are just tender.

Add peas; return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until peas are just tender. Remove soup from heat; stir in coconut milk and cilantro.

Serves 6

Enjoy!

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Spicy Thai Curried Lentils

partysugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:50:09 -0800

If you don't cook with lentils on a regular basis, you should start experimenting with them. The small legumes cook quickly, are filling, and can be served with everything from chorizo to arugula. Not to mention they're supposed to help you lose weight!

This recipe combines lentils with sweet potatoes, red pepper, and cauliflower. The exotically flavored dish is seasoned with coconut milk and red curry paste. It's a hearty and healthy vegetarian meal, so get the recipe now and read more.

Spicy Thai Curried Lentils
From Woman's Day

Ingredients

1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 can (14 oz) vegetable broth
1 cup canned lite coconut milk (not cream of coconut), stirred well before measuring
11⁄2 Tbsp red curry paste or 2 tsp red curry powder
3 cups fresh cauliflower florets
1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut in 3⁄4-in. chunks
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
1⁄4 cup basil, finely shredded
1⁄4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Directions

Mix lentils, broth, coconut milk and curry in a large saucepan. Simmer, covered, 15 to 20 minutes until lentils are almost tender.
Place cauliflower, sweet potato and red pepper on lentils. Return to a simmer, cover and cook 10 to 12 minutes until vegetables and lentils are tender.
Sprinkle servings with the basil and cilantro.

Serves 4.

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Healthy Fast Salad With Lentils For Dinner

partysugar — Tue, 22 May 2007 07:58:32 -0700

Dried beans might not come to mind when you are looking for an easy meal to feed your family, however lentils are a great source of protein and cook in under a half an hour. During the warmer months I often make large dinner salads because they are crisp, healthy, and can be thrown together in a short amount of time. For tonight's dinner make this lentil salad with bacon, sauteed onions and carrots, and a red wine mustard vinaigrette. Sound good? Want the recipe? Well, read more

Lentil Salad with Bacon and Frisee
From Everyday Food magazine

1 pound dried lentils
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh dill, picked from thick stems, or more to taste
2 bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 cups frisee or baby lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

In a medium saucepan, combine lentils and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until lentils are tender but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, cook bacon over medium-low heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain.
Add onion and carrots to rendered fat in skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender, 15 minutes.
Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, Dijon, and oil; season with salt and pepper.
Combine frisée and 1/3 of the dressing in another bowl; toss to coat. Add lentils, onion mixture, and bacon to bowl with remaining dressing; toss to coat.
To serve, divide frisée among salad plates; top with lentil salad.

Serves 4.

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Soup's On: Lentil Soup

partysugar — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:48:31 -0800

The other day, when I asked my sister what kind of soup she wanted for dinner, she quickly replied lentil. I researched some recipes and started chopping vegetables. Later when we sat down to dinner I realized she was only kidding! Luckily the soup was hearty and delicious and my entire family enjoyed it. The original recipe has you puree the soup, but I left it chunky for texture. The croutons add a nice crunch, but don't directly affect the flavor of the soup. Paired with a green salad and a glass of red wine, this is one excellent Winter meal. To see how I made it, read more.

Lentil Soup
From Food & Wine magazine

1 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
5 ounces Serrano ham or lean bacon*, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium leek, white and tender green parts only, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 quarts plus 1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 cups brown lentils (3/4 pound), rinsed and picked over
2 cups firm-textured white bread, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large saucepan, melt the 1 tbsp. of butter in the olive oil.

Add the Serrano ham, onion, leek, and carrot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.

Add the stock and lentils and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Simmer the soup over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, on a baking sheet, toss the diced bread with the melted butter and bake for 8 minutes, or until browned.

Puree the soup in a blender in batches**; transfer the puree to a clean saucepan. Add the cream, bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with the croutons.

Serves 8.

Make ahead: The soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. The croutons can be kept in an airtight container overnight.

*Sadly I could not find Serrano ham anywhere so I used bacon.
**I opted not to puree the soup.

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