Moong Dal with Spinach

I know this doesn't look like much, but trust me, it is delicious. There is rice on the bottom, creamy lentils, spinach and a unique spice combination that makes the flavor unique and very satisfying. This has been a perfect winter lunch this week.

Last year a friend and I took an Indian spices cooking class through Minneapolis Community Education. The instructor was fantastic- teaching us about different spices, having us complete at least part of a dish, having us eat a complete meal and then discussing how each dish is made and the spices in each one. It was very hands on and I left with a wealth of knowledge.

After this class, I felt confident enough to go to an Indian grocery store and fine the appropriate ingredients to made wonderful dal's and curries. This particular dish uses "panch puran" a  combination of spices that are not meant to be used raw or ground. Their are meant to be heated in oil and allowed to pop and bloom. It is a pretty neat technique and that adds incredible flavor.

I also learned about these "bay leaves" which are larger than my hand. These are really "cassia leaf" which is the leaf of a cinnamon tree. Definitely not to be substituted for the typical American bay leaf!
I only made a couple of changes to this recipe from class. It is easy to make and just requires a couple of Indian spices. It is nutritious and perfect for these cold January days.

Moong Dal with Spinach*
Makes 4-6 cups
Adapted from Chef Gayle

1/2 tsp oil (I used grapeseed oil)
1 medium piece of cassia leaf
1 cup moong dal
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp oil (canola, vegetable, grapeseed-something light, not olive oil) or ghee
2 tsp panch puran
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
2 cups fresh spinach
fresh lime, cut into wedges
cooked brown rice or naan to serve with the dal

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the 1/2 tsp oil and when headed, add cassia leaf and moong dal. Sautee lightly for about 3 minutes
2. Add water, tumeric and salt to the dal. Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook until dal is soft (~35 minutes). Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.
3. Once the dal is cooked, stir in the coconut milk and allow to simmer for several minutes.
4. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. When heated, add 1 tbsp oil. Once the oil is heated and shimmering, add the panch purah and temper until the mustard seeds pop- be very careful not to allow this to go to far and burn or the flavor will be bitter. This step only should take 60 seconds or so. Remove from heat and add cayenne.
5. Add the panch purah mixture to the dal and stir to combine.
6. Remove the cassia leaf and add the spinach. Cook for several minutes until the spinach is wilted.
7. Serve over cooked brown rice or naan and a wedge of lime.

*This dish can be made in advance and probably tastes better since the flavors are able to develop

Red Lentil Coconut Soup

Lentils are a relatively new ingredient to me. I have had them in soups occasionally, but I have never prepared them until recently. They are a fantastic way to incorporate healthy meatless protein into you diet. Nutritionally, 1/4 cup of dried lentils has 170 calories, 0g fat, 28g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 13g protein. That is actually less calories and fat, plus the same amount of protein as 2oz of chicken! Time wise, lentils do not take long to cook at all, especially compared to dried beans. Lentils are also very inexpensive, so I have been trying different types from the bulk bins at Whole Foods for less than $3.00. Now that I have been trying some different dishes (like this one) with lentils, I think I am hooked! And to think that I went to school in the town of The National Lentil Festival for four years and I never once went to festival or ate any lentils! 101 Cookbooks is a great site for lentil, meatless and natural ingredient recipes. I tried this lentil soup recipe from her site and I have another lentil dish with almonds and brussels sprouts from this site planned for later this week. This red lentil soup with coconut milk is flavorful and filling. The raisins add a nice burst of sweetness that you aren't expecting. If you are not a coconut fan, don't be afraid of this soup because the coconut flavor is very understated. Also, if you are someone who enjoys more heat in your food, chili paste could be added to contrast the sweetness of the raisins and coconut milk.  Enjoy!

Red Lentil Coconut Soup
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

2 cups red lentils (the original recipe used 1 cup lentils and 1 cup yellow split peas, but I didn't see any yellow split peas when I was at the store)
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 cups water
2 medium carrots, cut into a very small dice
2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and diced
2 tbsp cumin powder (original recipe uses curry powder which I don't really like so that's I why I used cumin instead)
2 tbsp butter
4 shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 14oz can of coconut milk (I used light coconut milk)
2 tsp kosher or sea salt

1. Rinse lentils and place in a large soup pot. Cover with broth and water and bring to a boil. Add carrots and the ginger. Cover an simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until lentils are soft.
2. While lentils are cooking, put cumin power in a small, dry skillet over medium heat and toast until fragrant- be careful not to burn. Remove from heat and reserve the toasted cumin. Add butter to the skillet and add shallots and garlic and saute for several minutes until fragrant. Add raisins and tomato paste and cook for another several minutes. Add the cumin power back to the tomato paste mixture and stir to combine.
3. Add tomato paste mixture to the lentils and mix together. Add coconut milk and season with salt. Simmer, uncovered for about 20 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed (I added some garlic powder because I wanted a stronger garlic taste). Serve on its own, over rice or with fresh naan.

Khmer Curry

We are back from our adventure! Visiting Cambodia and Thailand was an amazing experience- it feels somewhat surreal to be back living a normal life. Life over there was so simple and we vowed to look at our American life differently when we returned. However, we moved to a new state, are starting new jobs and life seems to overtake you. Thankfully we have pictures and souvenirs to remind us of our trip and of life in Cambodia.

Noodles with spinach, bean sprouts and a fried egg

Cambodian breakfast soup

Stir-fry type dish with brown rice (rarity to find brown rice)

And, we have our memories of the food! All of the food that we had was amazing- noodles, stir-fries, soups, curries, and rice. There are of course fried bugs, snakes, fertilized eggs and other oddities. We had to try something out of our comfort zone so we tried the fertilized egg- not the best, but everything else was delicious.

Fresh fried frogs, duck and snakes

Fertilized duck egg

Because I am not very familiar with Asian food, I wanted to take the cooking class offered by our first hotel in Siem Reap. It was $10 for a two hour class and I thought that if we learned to cook some Khmer dishes, then we would know more of what to order when we were out and about.

Noodles with vegetables and egg

Our class instructor was a very soft spoken and direct Cambodian girl who put us to work. She said that she was not the normal teacher for the class, but she seemed to know exactly what to do. She had us chopping and dicing in minutes. Aaron and I made every component of the dishes (3 each) under her guidance and instruction. We learned how to make fresh and fried spring rolls, Cambodian curry, amok (traditional dish with fish, curry, vegetables and coconut milk), and banana and mung bean desserts. I was surprised to learn how easy these dishes actually are to make. I thought curry was something that takes hours and hours to cook, but with once the paste is made I found that it comes together pretty quickly. Spring rolls don't seem as daunting anymore either.

Grinding spices for the spice paste

Amok

The funny thing was that we had ordered the exact foods for lunch thinking that the class would be cancelled due to rain. We devoured those foods at lunch, learned how to cook them and then were given the complete portions of food that we cooked. It was enough food for at least 4-6 people! We nibbled on it after the class, and then had it for a bedtime snack later that night. Favorites were the fried spring rolls, the curry, and the amok. The desserts were a little soupy and beans for dessert just did not taste right to me- where is the chocolate??

Fresh spring rolls and a peanut chili sauce

Fried spring rolls

Since coming back, I have already been trying to recreate some of the wonderful dishes that we had in Cambodia and Thailand. The rice cooker has been put to good use along with our chop sticks and our new Asian spoons. We also found a Cambodian restaurant to try here in Minneapolis.

If you want to try something a little different, than here is the recipe for Cambodian curry. It is not as spicy as a Thai curry, so do not worry if you are not a spice lover. In fact, when I ate this at Khmer Kitchen in Siem Reap, it was so tasty I wanted to just drink the sauce it was so good! Enjoy!

Cambodian (Khmer) Curry

Khmer Curry
From: Golden Temple Hotel Khmer Cooking Class

Spice Paste: (a pre-made red type of curry paste could also probably be substituted for making this fresh)
2 dried chilies, soaked, drained and then cut into pieces
2 slicks of lemon grass, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 garlic clove
1 shallot, roughly chopped
Kaffir lime leaf
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 inch piece of fresh turmeric, peeled
1/2 inch piece of galingale, peeled
1 tablespoon of peanuts
2 tablespoons of chili oil
1 tablespoon of shrimp paste
1 Star Anise
1/4 inch piece of cinnamon
2-3 coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

1. In a dry pan on medium-low heat, toast star anise, cinnamon, coriander, and fenugreek for several  minutes until fragrant
2. Crush dry, toasted spices in a mortar and pestle
3. Add all ingredients and crushed spices to a food processor and process until smooth

Curry:
Eggplant, boiled potatoes, carrot, onion and long beans (or green beans) cut into 1 inch pieces
Chicken or fish, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 teaspoons cooking oil
2 teaspoons curry paste
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp chicken bouillon
Fish sauce
Cooked rice

1. Add cooking oil and curry paste to pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add 1 cup of coconut milk, sugar, bouillon and 3 splashes of fish sauce and cook for several minutes
2. Add meat and allow to cook for several minutes
3. Add vegetables and cook for about 10 minutes. Add additional cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of water if needed during cooking period.
4. Serve over rice