Recipe, text and photo by Nele Liivlaid (Nutriplanet)
The other evening I wanted to prepare the traditional Indian red lentil dal for dinner – just to discover that mysteriously my red lentils had run out 🙂
OK, then I had a look around in my cupboard and saw beluga lentils – very well, I’ll just make the dal with these I thought. But then I noticed the millet jar and thought – why not try to mix the lentils and the millet together in a stew. I knew the lentils would colour the millet somewhat bluish, but that did not discourage me a bit – think about cuttlefish paellas 🙂
The outcome was a very satisfying hearty dish which I served with oven-baked vegetables and fresh salad. My husband and my 4-year-old loved it too!
Ingredients:
Serves 3 very easily
150 g (5 ounces) beluga lentils
100 g (3.5 ounces) millet
1 onion (chopped)
½ tsp curry powder
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
½ tsp cumin
3 tsp organic broth powder
½ cup (125 ml) coconut milk
Water – as much as needed for required consistency/thickness
3 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
Preparation:
Rinse the millet and lentils very well. It would be ideal to soak them first for 5-7 hours which then of course shortens the cooking time and makes them more easily digestible.
Crush the spices.
In a medium saucepan on high heat, add 1 tablespoon of water. When the water begins to sputter, add the chopped onion, and cook stirring for about 3 minutes, adding water just as needed to prevent sticking (one tbsp at a time). Add crushed spices, curry and broth powder, and cook stirring for an additional minute.
Add millet, lentils and water. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 25-30 minutes (unsoaked) until the lentils and millet are soft. Add water whenever necessary. I like my stew quite soft. Towards the end add coconut milk.
Stir in nutritional yeast.
Enjoy with raw and cooked vegetables or as a separate dish!
