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The Accolan, the girls, and I love Indian food. We especially love to go to a local restaurant’s lunch buffet and stuff ourselves silly on it. But, a big part of living a simpler, more frugal life, is learning to make do and do without. So, we have put eating out back on the “special occasions only” shelf (where it belongs). Luckily though, a good dal is so easy to make and is comprised of such cheap ingredients that we can eat it quite frequently without putting a dent in our food budget.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2″ piece fresh ginger root, peeled and finely minced
1 1/2 cup lentils
3 cups water
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
13.5 oz can coconut milk
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried coriander

Coconut milk can be found at most supermarkets. I usually find it with the Asian food, but thanks to Goya I have found it with the Spanish and Mexican food as well.

Directions:

In a medium to large saucepan, saute onion in oil until soft and translucent, add garlic and ginger and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes.

Add lentils and toss to coat in oil. Add water. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender and most of the water has been absorbed.

Remove from heat. Add crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, curry powder, and salt. Mix well to combine.

Return pot to stove and allow to simmer for about an hour.

Garnish with coriander flakes before serving.

Serving:

Serve over rice, preferably jasmine or basmati.

Make it a feast and serve it with some bengan bhartha and some aloo matar.

Variations:

  • add up to 1 tsp of crushed red pepper when adding the garlic and ginger if you want some heat in this dish
  • use a different variety of lentils, be aware that this may change cooking time
  • replace lentils with dried split-peas
  • add a handful or two of peeled diced carrots when you add the garlic and ginger
  • add a handful or two of frozen peas when you add the crushed tomato
  • use 1 – 1 1/2 cups of half and half in place of the coconut milk
How Is This a Frugal Family Meal?
This recipe make a large amount and lentil dishes are very filling so it goes pretty far. While you will lose some depth of flavor you can omit the coconut milk (or replace it with a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt) to bring the cost down even further.

Enjoy!

Jia
Adapted from:

Complete Book of Indian Cooking: 350 Recipes from the Regions of India

You might also enjoy:

From Mom With Love . . .: A Complete Guide to Indian Cooking and Entertaining

Complete Indian Cooking: 325 Deliciously Authentic Recipes for the Adventurous Cook

Image : with thanks to harmsgerm

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