Dilled Vegetables with Lentils

01. April 2008 Vegetables + Salads 0

You can use almost any vegetable to make this dish at home. I chose potatoes and carrots because they are hefty enough to keep me full for a couple of hours. The spinach, I think, is a must–don’t be afraid to use frozen spinach leaves if you want to skip the chore of washing them. Add some roasted butternut squash and you’ll be more than set for autumn.

I made my own ginger-garlic paste and froze them in batches. Store leftovers by spreading a small bit on Saran wrap. Top it with another sheet of Saran. Repeat until you have a small stack of ginger-garlic paste separated by Saran in sheets. Store in a resealable plastic bag and put in the freezer. If you want to skip that step, just add 2 tbsp of ginger cut in thin strips and 3 cloves of minced garlic.

Ingredients:
3 bunches of spinach, rinsed thoroughly, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled, quartered
half a bag of baby carrots
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cup of lentils, washed and drained
a handful of dill leaves, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt, oil

For ginger-garlic paste:
cloves from 3 heads of garlic, peeled
1 large ginger root, peeled, chopped

1. Make ginger-garlic paste. Blend ginger and garlic together until smooth. Set aside.
2. Cook lentils. In a small saucepan, boil some water and add lentils. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Remove from pan using a slotted spoon, reserving some of the water for later.
3. In a large Dutch oven, heat some oil. Add the cumin seeds and toast until light brown. Then add a tsp of ginger-garlic paste and mix.
4. Add all the vegetables and the lentils. Season with salt. Add turmeric and mix. Put 2/3 cup of the lentil water, cover, and cook in low fire for about 35 minutes. Stir occasionally until carrots are tender. Some of the vegetables will be mushy.