Coconut Dhal Curry [Zack]

This is a simple Dhal (lentil) curry that you can make at home with a pressure cooker.  You can chop and toss everything into the pressure cooker and have dinner on the table in 45 minutes.  The coconut milk adds a sweetness to the lentils, and the fish sauce brings the umami to the party.  Leave the fish sauce out for a totally veg meal.

Process:

Start by grinding up cumin seeds, harissa powder, and the onion powder in a mortar and pestle. Then peel the ginger and garlic, loosely chop them, and then add them to the mortar and pestle with the powder. Mash until it makes a paste.

Slice the onion, red pepper, and the tomatoes. Heat up your pressure cooker over medium heat and add some butter, oil, or ghee into the bottom. Saute the onions and red peppers together for about 5 minutes. Then, add the paste to the pot and cook for about a minute (until it becomes fragrant). Add the tomatoes to the party and your 1.5 cups of lentils. Make sure to look for small stones in the lentils by dumping them on a plate and sorting through.

Add the 3 cups of water and cover the pressure cooker. Cover, and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes over medium heat. Make sure to shake it around every 5 minutes, so nothing sticks to the bottom.

You can cook your rice that you’ll combine with the lentils while the pressure cooker is going. Also, dice the onions, peppers, jalapenos, and coriander for the topping.  Combine all of the diced veggies into a bowl.

De-pressurize your cooker, and add in the fish sauce and coconut milk.  Add a bit more salt or maple syrup if necessary.

Serve over the rice, and topped with the fresh garnish!

Ingredients:
1.5 red peppers
1.5 cups lentils
3 cups water
3 tomatoes
1 red onion
1 fat inch ginger
4 cloves garlic
2T cumin seeds
2T harissa powder
1T dried onion powder
½ cup coconut milk
1.5T fish sauce
1tsp sugar or maple syrup (if it needs a kick of sweetness)

For the topping, combine:
½ red onion
½ red pepper
¼ cup pickled jalapenos
1 fist-full of coriander

Song:  Raphael Saadiq - Good Man