Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Moroccan Lentil Stew


This recipe was taken from allrecipes.com and was contributed by Grace and Mae. It is a winter's soup, chocked full of Ayurveda spice that promotes many things, such as supporting circulation, providing relief for those suffering from stomach acidity, improving digestion and managing an anti-inflammatory environment. I have tweaked it, of course, as I often do after finding a favorite recipe and making it so many times, that each time allows for adjustments in ingredients, based on what I have on hand. Still the basic recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained (or the equivalent in dried beans, soaked and cooked)
  • 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans (or the equivalent in dried beans, soaked and cooked)
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (I had strained tomatoes instead, which changes the texture a bit)
  • 1/2 cup diced carrots (added more carrots and celery due to the different kind of tomatoes)
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala 
  • (or for a real authentic meal, find Rus Al Hanoot instead, which is a Moroccan blend rather than Indian)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
  • (I had zero cumin in the cupboard so I added chili powder instead, which has cumin in it)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

  1. In large pot saute; the onions, garlic, and ginger in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the water, lentils, chick peas, white kidney beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, garam masala, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cumin. Bring to a boil for a few minutes then simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer, until the lentils are soft.
  3. Puree half the soup in a food processor or blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir and enjoy! (I actually like the texture without blending, so I often leave it "as is". Still delicious!)
  4. Alternatively, you may add all of the ingredients to a crock pot and slowly simmer everything together for an extended period of time. the taste and texture will be slightly altered, but with crusty bread, makes a perfect meal!

For more information on the health benefits of ginger, click on this link:

For more information on the health benefits of cardamom, click on this link:

For more information on Rus Al Hanout, and how you might create this on your own using the spices in your cupboard, click on this link:

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