Red Lentil Zucchini Dahl
We are just getting
warmed up for the month o’ beans and today’s was excellent again.
In an effort not to go too heavy on one regional flavor I thought I’d tap India for today’s delicious bean adventure. Saying you’re tapping India is like tapping America, it’s too vast to claim just one way of doing things, but I being a generalist at the moment.
What’s cool and funky about today’s dish is I used curry leaves for the first time ever. I didn’t know these little darlings even
existed until last week. I’ve tasted them before when having gone out to a
restaurant for curry. I’ve tried to get that same flavor with the spices in my
cabinet but always missed the mark. These darlings are fantastic and if you are
like me wondering what was missing, I’ll bet it’s the curry leaf.
Red Lentil Zucchini
Dahl
2c. red lentils, rinsed3 small zucchini, sliced
3 curry leaves
3 T. oil
1 large onion
1 T. corriander, ground
2 tsp. cumin, ground
1/4tsp. turmeric
2 red chili peppers
5 cloves garlic
1inch ginger, peeled
5 black pepper corns
Salt
Bring the lentils to boil in plenty of unsalted water. After
20 minutes add the zucchini. Cook lentils and zucchini until soft. If it’s too
wet simmer longer. Thin with water if too thick. In a small skillet sauté
onions in oil on low heat. Make a paste of the spices, garlic and ginger. Once
the onions are soft add the spice paste and sizzle in the skillet 3-4 minutes. Add
the spices to the lentils. Add salt. Cook 5 minutes longer.
Frankly, I just ate
this straight up without rice or bread, making happy noises all the while.
So do you have a recently discovered ingredient? Or one that you found that you didn't even know you were missing?