Aloo Masoor Dal (Potatoes with Red Lentils)

I picked this curry because it makes a relatively complete one-pot meal with protein supplied by the quick-cooking lentils. It's not quite a one-pot meal, but it's close. And the lentils need so little attention, that I didn't begrudge them their extra pot.

This was alright on the first day when I served it with a simple radish raita and some paratha. But it was phenomenal on the second day when I added some spicy onion pickles to the mix! I highly recommend serving this with your favourite Indian pickles. It really adds a lot to the dish.

Aloo Masoor Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. red lentils (masoor dal/Egyptian lentils/split skinned brown lentils)
• 3 c. water, divided
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2 fresh green Thai chilies¹
• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 c. chopped kale or spinach
• juice of 1 lime²

Directions

1. Rinse the lentils a few times until the water remains relatively clear.
2. Add lentils to a pot with 2 c. of the water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Skim off any foam that forms, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender (~10 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat.
5. Add (whole) cumin seeds and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
6. Add onion, ginger, and chilies and stir-fry until nicely browned (6-8 minutes).
7. Add potatoes, salt, ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cilantro and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes (to cook the spices).
8. Add remaining 1 c. of water and deglaze the pan.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender (10-15 minutes).
10. Meanwhile, blend lentils into a smooth sauce. This can be done straight in the pot if you have an immersion blender. If not, you may have to blend it in two batches in the regular blender.
11. Stir the spinach and blended lentils into the potato mixture and cook until spinach is just wilted (or thawed if using frozen).
12. Just before serving, stir in the lime juice.
13. Serve with your favourite flatbread, raita, and spicy pickles!

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¹ Iyer calls for 2-3 chilies. I put one because the Kidlet is once again on a "no spicy" kick. I think two would've been better though. ^Back
2 I just realized that I completely forgot to ad the lime juice! The curry was ready a bit early and I was planning on stiring the lime juice in just before serving and, of course, forgot all about it. This could explain why the curry was a little lacking in umph. ^Back