bonjourhan

I just love pretty food. This dish was so colorful, and it smelled amazing! The best part – It was really healthy. I found the recipe online, but I was missing a couple spices, so I improvised. It turned out delicious, but I also like a little more kick in my food, so I’ll tell you what I would change for next time too.

Ingredients

Here’s my version. Don’t be intimidated by the ingredients: It’s mostly just spices!

• 1 Tbs olive oil (or thereabouts)
• 1 cup chopped onion (I used 1 medium onion)
• 1/2 tsp ginger (powder) – I can’t stand the taste of too much ginger in my food, so I always use it sparingly. If you like ginger, you might want 1 or 2 tsp
• 1 clove garlic, minced (with one of my favorite kitchen tools ever)
• 1/2 tsp coriander (the recipe called for ground coriander seed, but I just had the whole seeds. Either is fine.)
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp curry powder (I would use about 3 tsp next time)
• 1 1/4 cups dry jasmine rice
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup dry lentils
• 3 cups water
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped (this was good, but it kind of tasted like it didn’t belong in the dish. I might leave it out next time.)
• 1/2 cup green peas (I used frozen)
• 3 Tbs raisins
• 1 Tbs butter (optional – I forgot to add it this time, but I’ll try it next time)

I would also add a few teaspoons of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper next time to give it some more kick.

Directions

This is actually pretty quick and easy to make.

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, stirring frequently.
2. Sprinkle in the ginger, garlic, coriander, nutmeg, cumin, curry powder, and whatever other spices you use. Cook a few more minutes, stirring frequently to evenly distribute the spices.
3. Pour the rice into the pan and sautée it with the onions and spices for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the lentils, salt and water, and stir.
4. Add the potatoes and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover the pan. Cook 10 more minutes.
5. Place the bell pepper, peas and raisins into the pan and stir well. Cover the pan and cook 10-20 minutes more, or until the rice and lentils are tender. (This is not a delicate dish. Don’t feel the need to check it every 2 minutes.) Stir in the butter, if you’re using it.

Depending on how many veggies you add (I always use a little bit more than a recipe calls for), this dish will feed 4-6 people.