Indian Red Lentil Stew

November 15, 2012 By Leanne Vogel December 13, 2018

A girl’s gotta treat herself every once in awhile. Whether it’s a weekend retreat, getting a pedicure, or an elaborate haircut, doing something kind to ourselves makes us feel good, relaxed and special. It doesn’t have to be huge. Heck, I consider taking myself out to tea and reading for a couple of hours in a comfy coffee shop a way to treat myself. That’s like, a $3 activity, tops.

My activity of choice yesterday wasn’t $3 but it was essential. My skin has been begging for some special treatment since we arrived in Montreal. I’ve been get crazy breakouts for no reason, dry patches, oily patches… it’s a war zone. So I booked myself in for a facial at the spa down the street from my yoga studio. They use Image Organic Skincare Products; a line one of my girlfriends swears by. The spa is also running a discount on facials this month, so I figured yesterday was a good a day as any to book myself in and get my face glowing again.

Keto shopping lists, recipes, and more! Start keto with this FREE 5-step guide.

I'm ready!

I’ll let you know what I think of the product in a couple of weeks!

Okay, on to food.

Last time I used these little red lentils, I threw them in a batch of granola. Gosh, that stuff was good. Red lentils are the bomb!

Out of all of the two week cleanse recipes we’ve enjoyed so far, this is my favorite. It’s crazy good and really, really good for you. Each serving has 18 grams of fiber. 18! That’s insanity!

Ah yes, and it comes with it’s very own homemade masala.

To print, email or text this recipe, click here.

4.6 from 8 reviews

Indian Red Lentil Stew

Author: Leanne Vogel

Recipe type: Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free, Yeast-free, Corn-free, Grain-free, Nut-free

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

A thick and hearty lentil stew that's low in fat and high in fiber, protein and iron. Made spicy with homemade masala and ready in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Stew:

1 teaspoon extra-virgin coconut oil
1 cup finely chopped red onion
¾ cup finely chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
4 cups water
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
2 gluten-free, yeast-free vegetable bouillon cubes
Sea salt, to taste

Masala:

1 tablespoon cumin seeds
Two 2" segments of cinnamon bark
3-5 whole dried chilies
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
Pinch saffron

Add-ins:

3 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Juice from ½ lime

Instructions

Begin by sauteing oil, red onion, celery, garlic and ginger root in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat for 6 minutes, until soft.
Meanwhile, break apart cinnamon bark and chili's with your fingers and place in a cast iron pan with cumin seeds. Heat on medium heat for 5 minutes, rotating often until toasted.
Add toasted ingredients to the bowl of your coffee grinder. Add turmeric and saffron. Grind until smooth and set aside.
Once onion mixture is complete, add remaining stew ingredients, including homemade masala. Cover, increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, until lentils are softened.
Stir in fresh cilantro and lime juice.
Will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze in individual containers for quick lunches.

View nutrition information (once on page, scroll down)

I bought this cinnamon bark and saffron in India and am savoring every last bit of it before it’s gone. You can buy the bark here, just look for it in the ethnic isle of your grocery store. It’s so much more flavorful that cinnamon sticks, it’ll blow your mind!

If you don’t have a grinder, I’d recommend swapping out the homemade masala with some garam masala instead.

Okay, begin by chopping up your onions and celery. Nice and fine!

Add to a large saucepan and cook with garlic and oil.

Meanwhile, you can get your masala ready. I like using a cast iron pan, but use whatever you have handy. You just want to toast the seeds so that the flavor develops. Toasted cumin seeds are one of my favorite things on this planet.