This aromatic lentil dal is flavorful and healthy. And by doing the prep work in advance and freezing the mix-ins, you can have a simple protein-rich dinner on the table in 20 minutes.
We’ve got a new favorite vegetarian dinner over here, and it is this lentil dal. Packed with cilantro, ginger, jalapeño pepper and coconut milk, it is flavorful and incredibly easy to pull together. We usually serve it with some naan and roasted carrots, but I often find myself having the leftovers with just a side salad as a quick lunch as well.
I haven’t tried freezing the lentil dal as a fully cooked dish – I’m just not sure how well the texture would hold up. However, I have found a way to save a bunch of hands-on prep time and make this super easy for anyone to cook up, regardless of their cooking skills.
TO FREEZE LENTIL DAL:
1. Quadruple the recipe and pulse all of the aromatics and spices together in a mini food processor. You could triple or double the recipe or whatever, but doing it in increments of four means you can just throw in a single seeded jalapeño pepper for each set of four and call it a day.
2. Freeze the chopped aromatics in an ice cube tray, dividing them evenly to create four seasoning cubes.
3. Use the rest of the ice cube tray to freeze coconut milk. You’ll want 8-12 coconut milk ice cubes.
4. When everything is frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag and label it as such:
Lentil Dal.
Cook 1 cup lentils with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3 cups water: boil and simmer for 20 minutes. In the last few minutes, stir in 1 seasoning cube and 2-3 cubes of coconut milk. Serve warm.
I’m loving this for three reasons. First, I’m now at the point of pregnancy where being on my feet in the kitchen for any considerable amount of time is highly uncomfortable for my feet and hips. Secondly, this lentil dal will be a good quick lunch or dinner that nearly anyone can help me prepare if my hands are full while I’m taking care of the baby, or that I can prep one-handed if needed. Finally, it is super cheap to prep for multiple batches of this high-protein, flavorful dish. Basically, it’s a win all around!
This aromatic lentil dal is flavorful and healthy. And by doing the prep work in advance and freezing the mix-ins, you can have a simple protein-rich dinner on the table in 20 minutes.
Slightly adapted from The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 jalapeño pepper, seeded
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 1/2” piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water
- 3 tablespoons coconut milk
Instructions
- Pulse the garlic, jalapeño, cilantro and ginger together in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
- Mix the lentils with the salt and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil, then remove the lid and simmer for 20 minutes. In the last few minutes, stir in the coarsely chopped aromatics and the coconut milk. Serve hot.
Make Ahead and Storage
Freeze the aromatics and coconut milk in an ice cube tray for quick and easy dinners down the line.
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