Fragrant Kidney Bean Lentil Dal (WFPBNOGF)*
Prep Notes
This dish is a dal of sorts, and is especially fragrant and flavorful, rich with spices, and yet not spicy in a hot sense. You can always add a few splashes of hot sauce if you like.
Ingredients
1 cup yellow onions
1-1/4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp allspice
1-2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
1 stick cinnamon
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cloves large garlic
1-1/2 tbsp ginger
1 cup red lentils
1 15 oz. can kidney beans
2 bay leaves
to taste hot sauce
cilantro
Directions
Heat 2 tbsp water in a large pot over high or medium-high heat.
Add the onion, salt, pepper, spices, and cinnamon stick. Stir, cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add 2-1/2 cups of water, the orange juice, garlic, ginger, lentils, kidney beans, and bay leaves.
Stir, bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium or medium-low, cover, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove the cinnamon stick (leaving the stick in will impart a stronger cinnamon flavor, but this can be overpowering), and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the lentils are fully dissolved and the misture has thickened.
For a thinner consistency, add extra water, anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup, or more, if desired. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Season with additional salt, if desired. Add hot sauce to taste and sprinkle with fresh cilantro (if using).
Notes
The consistency of this dish can be kept thicker, for scooping with roti bread or even whole-grain tortillas, or made thinner to serve over rice, or to eat more like a stew. Start with the 2-1/2 cups of water and then thin out later to your desired consistency.
I am a fennel lover. The flavor of fennel, anise, licorice--all resonate very favorably for me. If you also love fennel, go ahead and use a full 1 teaspoon (I usually do). but if you are a little more tentative about the fennel flavor, use just 1/2 teaspoon. Just don't leave it out altogether; it really combines beautifully with the spice profile in the dish.
Kid-Friendly: If serving this to children, you might want to omit the crushed red pepper flakes and reserve the hot sauce for the adult individual portions. If you like things spicy, feel free to add hot sauce to the dal to taste, or add more crushed red pepper flakes earlier in the cooking process with the other spices.
Savvy Subs and Adds: The orange juice brings a love flavor to this dish, but if you don't have any oranges or juice on hand, feel free to replace with water.
From Let Them Eat Vegan
Credit
From the Forks Over Knives App