I’ve gotten onto a bit of an Indian food spree lately. This is a direct result from my trip to NYC a few weeks ago. When Pam and I go to larger cities we often seek out Thai restaurants. After living in Thailand for 5 years Thai food has become comfort food for Pam. So during our first week in NYC we ate Thai just about every day. We have a few favorite restaurants that we return to often when in town, and this time we found a few new places. All quite good for American Thai. We had some delicious Gai Yang, plenty of Kraw Pao Gai, and piles of Som Tam. None had the nose-running spiciness that we adore when in Chiang Mai, but no complaints.
During our second week in NYC we stayed with our friend Claire, and for a switch we all went out for Indian food around the corner from her apartment. The dishes were a new symphony of spices and spiciness that our bellies just adored. Warm curries, cinnamon, cardamom, oniony naan and earthy vegetables.
The delight of the new flavor profiles was doubly enhanced by our visiting with our friend. Claire has done the remarkable thing of completely transforming her self and health over the past couple of years, and a lot of that started with a change in her diet. After years of aches and pains and stubborn weight, Claire shied away from gluten and refined sugars and then ultimately became a Vegan. {well actually a 95% vegan as she calls it, she is not militant. It turns out she enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner just like any good Pilgrim}
I had not seen Claire much during this transformation phase, but each morning, sitting at her kitchen table while she ate her porridge of grits and lentils, I couldn’t help but be blown away. Claire now has a significantly more svelte physique, but more importantly a lightness of spirit and energy. No- it’s more than that, I dare say that she is somewhat radiant. This from a woman who was gray skies and wore dreary black every day.
After a week of Thanksgiving indulgences, and in the glow of Claire’s revival, you might see how one might fall in love with bowls of Daal.
Before leaving NY I tucked into my suitcase fresh spices to bring back home. BTW- spices DO stale in time, so a revamp of your spice rack once a year of so is in order. You’ll be amazed in the difference fresh spices can make to a dish.
So here you have it. A soul satisfying Red Lentil soup made with coconut milk. In addition I fried up a batch of Socca. These are a chickpea flour pancake that have a wonderful creamy texture to them. For you gluten free folks, this is one for the recipe file. I tossed in some black sesame seeds into mine, but like any pancake, they are a blank canvas for any flavor combination. They also take no time at all, so for those nights when you hanker for a starch but don’t want to wait for rice to cook, this would be a fantastic go-to.
- 1 cup yellow split peas
- 1 cup red lentils (masoor dal)
- 7 cups water
- 1 medium carrot, sliced into 1/4" coins
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 Tablespoons Bolt's curry powder (I used hot)
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/3 vup tomato paste
- 1 14oz can light coconut milk (full fat coconut milk makes a creamier dish)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, rough chopped
- Thoroughly rinse the lentils and peas, picking through to remove any debris or stones. Place them in a large pot and add the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, add the carrot and half the ginger. Cover and cook until tender, abut 30 minutes. While the lentils and peas cook, in a small dry skillet over low heat, toast the curry powder. Take care not to burn it. You will get a burst of curry aroma coming from the pan, remove from the heat and scrape the powder into a bowl. Add the coconut oil to the pan and add half of the scallions and the remaining ginger. Saute for 2-3 minutes then add the tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add the toasted curry powder and stir to combine. Add the contents of the pan to the lentils along with the coconut milk and salt. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add more water if the consistency gets too thick. Serve with Socca and top with the remaining scallion and a dollop of yogurt if you like.
- 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons warmed coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- coconut oil for frying
- Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and stir thoroughly. Allow the batter to sit for at least 15 minutes for the flour to completely hydrate. You may adjust the thickness of the batter by adding more water if necessary.
- Place a large skillet over a medium flame and prepare with either cooking spray or a small amount of coconut oil. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes then flip and cook another 1-2 minutes.
- Like any pancake you can make them any size you desire.
- The pancakes are best served warm, but I honestly have no complaints with them being at room temperature. You may make them up in advance and then simply rewarm then in a dry pan for a minute or two before serving.
