Coconut Dal Makhani

Yay for trying new things! I'm 2/2 this week. I've never cooked with lentils before, but after some encouragement from a friend I came up with this recipe. This recipe wasn't difficult, but it was a little tedious because I started with dried lentils, which requires some pre-soaking and then a long simmer time, so keep that in mind if you try this out. Dal Makhani is an Indian dish and it traditionally uses heavy cream and butter. In trying to keep up with my veganism, I omitted both and used Earth Balance spread and coconut milk. This has a soup-like consistency and some great spicy and dynamic flavors. I made some whole wheat rotis to go along with it.

1 1/2 cups dried black lentils, soaked in water overnight (or soaked in boiled water for 2-3 hours) and rinsed off thoroughly
5 cups water
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon Earth Balance spread
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 large tomato, finely diced
1 cup light coconut milk (or 1/2 cup regular coconut milk + 1/2 cup water)

In a large pot add the soaked lentils, water, chili powder, salt, and ginger and mix well. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 1 hour. In a medium sauce pan melt the spread and oil together on medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let seeds toast until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add garlic, turmeric, garam masala, onion and tomato and let cook for about 6-8 minutes. Add this onion/tomato mixture into the pot containing the lentils and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for an additional 20 minutes. In a blender or food processor, blend together the coconut milk and 2 cups of the lentil mixture. This mixture should still be slightly lumpy. Add this back into the pot containing the remaining lentils and stir. Serve with fresh naan or roti. Yield: 4 large bowls