Lentils make for a colorful & healthful pre-holiday cleanse

How I Got To Love TV Chef Artie Sequeira’s “Mommy’s Daily Red Lentil” recipe, she’s certainly charming, but I’ve been making it for quite a few years Perhaps I discovered it during my almost year-long veganism career, but it doesn’t really matter.

Because right now, many people, including myself, need a good pulse.

[ For better sleep and lower stress, check your pulses ]

Before you use your imagination, lentils are legumes.

I wrote about them a year ago. Timely then and now, I will introduce a simple primer. Legumes are the dried, edible seeds of plants in the legume family, a nutrient-rich component that people have eaten, including beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils.It has been cultivated for over 10,000 years.

Experts say eating more of them can reduce stress and anxiety. Fiber, which we won’t go into in detail in the cooking and eating section, is very beneficial for digestive health and overall bowel function.

We are crap-eating shoulder season. As if the brakes had snapped, we’re still mining the remains of our Halloween buckets as we head towards the Thanksgiving pigout. I need lentils. bad.

This recipe is easy. And while Aarti Sequeria is known for infusing exciting Indian influences into American favorites, this is essentially a classic masoor dal tadka (Indian lentil soup).

It ticks a myriad of boxes for both healthy and very thoughtful eating. Naturally gluten-free and vegan, high in fiber and protein and low in fat and calories. It can be eaten in a mug or bowl and paired with basmati rice, roti, or dosa (its carbohydrate content makes it a complete protein).

For example, I had leftover carrots in the fridge that day, so I sliced ​​them up and mixed them up. And I like it a little spicy, so I used 1 serrano pepper and a ton of jalapeños I had on hand to heat things up. diced. Most of the preparation is a cakewalk. Rinse the lentils, chop the vegetables and put it all in the water to cook. But the secret sauce is in tadka, or tempering oil.

Tadka (also known as Baghar) is a method of infusing spices into hot oil that adds incredible depth of flavor to many Indian dishes. It’s the last step before your lentils are ready to eat. This will make your kitchen smell its best.

[ Making khichidi, ‘the chicken-noodle soup of India’ ]

“This dish is very good. I know some people think the lentils aren’t very exciting, but there is nothing dull about these lentils. Just an explosion of flavor in your mouth.” , Sequeira says in a short Food Network video of preparing the dish.

That’s true. And like most soups and stews, the dish gets better in a day or two when all those amazing flavors start to melt away.

I have never seen “The Next Food Network Star”. And after many attempts to do a decent TikTok for this recipe, I’m sure I’ll never get one either, but in my opinion this one recipe of his She Sequeria deserves the honor.

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material

• 1 cup massur dal red lentils
• 2 cups of water
• 1 onion (diced)
• 4 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
• 1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 sliced ​​serrano chili (optional)

for tempering oil

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika or buffered powder
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• a handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves

instructions

1. Put the lentils in a colander and wash them under running water. Place in a bowl, cover with water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups water, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, chili (if using), and lentils. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim the scum off the surface. do not add salt yetthe lentils will be tougher and the cooking time will be longer. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer gently until lentils are tender, almost translucent, and about to fall apart, about 30-40 minutes.
3. Whisk the lentils to release the natural starch. Add salt to taste.

To make tempering oil (tadka):

1. In a small bowl, mix cumin and mustard seeds. Mix in another spice powder. This moves very fast, so prepare all the ingredients.
2. In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil softens, put the seeds in and immediately cover the pot with a lid so that the oil and seeds do not splatter. Add spices. They should sizzle a little—that’s flowering, exactly what you want. The mixture should bloom for about 30 seconds.
3. Pour the oil mixture over the lentils and stand back to avoid injury when the mixture splatters again. Transfer the lentils to a serving dish and garnish with coriander.