As the main component in dal, a staple of Indian cuisine and therefore my childhood dinners, the lentil is no stranger to my life. There are various kinds: yellow, red, black, green, and they all sit in large jars in my pantry at home, colorful little gems that meant very little to me at the time.
Because I ate them pretty much every single day growing up, I eschewed lentils when I began cooking on my own. Though I love it, dal kind of gets boring after a while, and sometimes I need a respite. Unfortunately, my parents packed two large canisters full of lentils for me on their last visit, leaving me with plenty of red and yellow split lentils, but no desire to cook them. Since they don’t go bad, they just sat languishing in my cabinet for months on end (my parents don’t visit often … ).
Somehow, it never occurred to me that lentils don’t always have to be used in dal. Faced with a mostly empty fridge a few weeks ago and a looming 10-day long decampment to Maryland, I was forced to improvise. Chorizo + carrots + shallots + lentils? Oookay. In the words of my sorely missed Project Runway fave Tim Gunn, “make it work.”
The blend of fiery spices, garlicky pimentón from the chorizo and sweetness from the carrots created a stew-like dish that is hearty and rich, layered with flavor and bursting with warmth. It wasn’t the best thing I ate that week (I did go home that weekend, to be fair), but it was a nice dish to come home to after Thanksgiving. Filling fare without being particularly sinful — exactly what I need as I try to curb my eating habits during the holiday season.
By the way, if you have any lentil recipes that don’t involve dal, please let me know — I’d love to try them!
Stewed Red Lentils with Carrots and Chorizo
– 1 cup split red lentils
– 3 cups water
– 1 tablespoon butter
– 2 bay leaves
– 1 teaspoon chili powder
– 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
– 1 tablespoon olive oil
– 3 small shallots, minced
– 3 cloves garlic, minced
– 4 ounces Spanish chorizo, diced
– 3 carrots, sliced into coins 1/4-inch thick
– salt and pepper, to taste
1) In a medium-sized pot, add the lentils, water, butter, bay leaves, chili powder, cayenne and cumin, and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the lentils are soft (but still retain their shape somewhat).
2) In a large skillet, add the olive oil, shallots and garlic and heat on low until the onions are translucent, 7-10 minutes. Add the chorizo, carrots, salt and pepper and cook until the carrots are slightly softened, about 15 minutes.
3) Once the lentils are cooked, add in the carrots and chorizo mixture. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
Maybe this is a southie thing, but we cook lentils with rice (i.e. pongal). I just sautee garlic, coat the lentils in the oil, add water and cook. Then add cooked rice at the end. (Lentils are kind of heavy for me on their own.) I eat it with some kind of highly-spiced vegetable (is there any other kind?). It’s a nice way to get the flavors of home w/o all the work!
Num num num.
I just tried this tonight and it was great!