indian

Honey's Delicious Dahl Soup

Restoration Fitness member, Honey, is a wonderful cook! We were lucky enough for her to share her lentil dahl soup recipe. Give it a try, it's SO delicious! Thanks, Honey!!

dahl

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup masoor dal red lentils, picked through for stones

2 cups water

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 serrano chile, sliced in 1/2, optional

Tempering oil (bagaar):

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds

Generous 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika or bafaat powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

Handful chopped fresh cilantro leaves

 

- Put the lentils in a strainer and rinse them under running water. Add them to a bowl, cover with water and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

- In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of water, the onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, chile, if using, and the lentils. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim any scum from the surface. DO NOT ADD SALT YET; it will toughen the lentils, thereby lengthening their cooking time. Lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid and gently simmer until the lentils are tender, almost translucent, and almost falling apart, about 30 to 40 minutes.

- Whisk the lentils, releasing its natural starch, and mash some them so the mixture becomes thick. Add salt, to taste.

- Tempering oil (bagaar): In a small bowl, combine the cumin and mustard seeds. In another bowl, combine the spice powders. Have all the ingredients ready because this will move very fast!

- In a small skillet, over a medium-high flame, warm 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add seeds and immediately cover so you don't get covered in spluttering oil and seeds! Add the spices. They should sizzle and bubble a little - that's the blooming and it's exactly what you want. Don't let them burn. The mixture should bloom for about 30 seconds, no more.

- Pour the oil mixture into the lentils, standing back so you don't get hurt when the mixture splutters again. Stir to combine. Transfer the lentils to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro.

Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients:

8-10 pieces of chicken (breasts, thighs, drumsticks, whatever you like)

1 box of Tandoori spice mix - You can find this at any Indian market. I bought Shan brand from the Indian Bazaar off 28th and Arapahoe in Boulder.

1 1/2 cups of plain yogurt (goat or cow)

-  Remove skin from chicken and cut a few slits in each piece

- In a mixing bowl, add yogurt and contents of spice packet. For a less spicy flavor, use more yogurt

- Add chicken to bowl and mix thorougly, marinade in refrigerator for 24 hrs

- Cook on medium-high on oiled (Pam, etc) grill for about 10 minutes on each side or until internal temperature reaches 165 degress

 

I like to serve this with a curry quinoa salad and fried spinach. The quinoa recipe will be posted as next week's recipe. Hope you enjoy!