Simply Cooking and Health: Easy and mild Red lentils with green (Di Huang Miao / malabar-spinach)

Easy and mild Red lentils with green (Di Huang Miao / malabar-spinach

Red lentil is pink in colour. It is also known as masoor dal in India. It is made by splitting the bean and removing the skin from the bean. It is used by many because it is soft and therefore it cooks fast and easily. It is also a very delicious lentil. It can be cooked without prior soaking; but soaking will reduce the cooking time. It is soaked for about 4-6 hours. Sometimes this dal is parboiled separately because it cooks faster than some other ingredients in the recipe. This lentil is high in protein and is important for vegetarians.

According to Wikipedia, the word dal is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root dhal- "to split".

Green (Di Huang Miao / malabar-spinach)

I have used a Chinese green - Di Huang Miao(Basella alba). This green is also known as Malabar spinach and Ceylon spinach. The leaves look like basil leaves. It has a slippery feel. Instead of this green you can use any green. Spinach is suitable for this recipe.

This recipe is one of the most popular versions in the South East Asian cuisine.

Recipe summary
For
Easy and mild Red lentils with green
(Di Huang Miao / malabar-spinach)

Preparation time :15 minutes
Cooking time:45 minutes

Serves : 6

1. In a medium sized pan add washed 2 cups red lentil, chopped 100 grams onion, 10 grams green chili, 3 cloves garlic, 10 curry leaves, ¼ tsp turmeric powder and 3 cups water. Bring to the boil, simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

Ingredients

2. In a pan heat 1 tbsp oil add cut 3 dry chilies fry for 3 minutes
add 50 grams onion and fry for 2 minutes. Add the Malabar greens
and stir fry for two minutes.
Once the dal is cooked add the stir fried green and mix well.

Easy and mild Red lentils
with green
(Di Huang Miao / malabar-spinach

3. Add the 1 tsp ground pepper and 1 tsp cumin ground together or pounded together.
Simmer the dal for 3 minutes.

Adding the fried green,
pepper and cumin

4 Add 1/2 cup coconut milk and 1/2 tsp salt and simmer for another two minutes.
Easy and mild Red lentils with green (Di Huang Miao / malabar-spinach)is ready.

Recipe follows in detail with pictures.

Preparation time :15 minutes
Cooking time:45 minutes
Serves : 6

Ingredients
Main
2 cups Masoor dal
100 grams Di Huang Miao or spinach

Others
150 grams onion roughly chopped
10 grams green chili, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
10 curry leaves, chopped

Onion,curry leaves,chili and garlic

¼ inch ginger, grated
3 dry chillies
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup coconut milk
½ tsp salt
3 cups water

Spices
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pepper powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder

Ingredients for Easy and mild Red lentils with green (Di Huang Miao / malabar-spinach)

Preparation
Wash the red lentils.

Clean wash and cut the green

Cut pieces of Di Huang Miao / malabar-spinach
Method

In a medium sized pan add washed dal, onion, green chili, garlic, curry leaves, turmeric powder and water. Bring to the boil, simmer for 30 minutes.

In a small frying pan, heat the oil. Add the red chili and fry for one minute. Add the chopped onion and fry for 5 minutes. If the fumes from frying dry chili affect you, fry the onion first and then add the chili later.

Frying chili and onion

Add the greens and stir-fry for 5 minutes.

Adding the green

I usually fry this green because it has a slippery feel. If you use spinach instead of this green then it not necessary to fry it. Add it directly to the dal.

Add the stir-fried items in the frying pan to the dal pan.

Add pepper powder, cumin powder ad turmeric powder. I used a mortar and pestle to pound pepper and cumin seeds.