Name: You will love lentils once you try this recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 sweet onion (diced); 3 garlic cloves (minced); 1/2 thumb size piece of fresh or frozen ginger (grated with microplane); 3 heaping tbsp curry powder; 2 tsp cumin; 1/4 tsp Ajika (optional and untraditional, but SO good for a little heat); 1 tsp smoked paprika; 2 tsp coriander; 1 tsp salt; 2 long carrots (diced); 1 medium sweet potato (peeled and diced); 500g French Green Lentils (rinsed); 1 15.5oz can of tomatoes; (1) 15oz can full fat coconut milk; 4 tbsp Coconut Aminos; 1/2 tsp fish sauce; 3 cups chicken broth + 2 cups water (both warmed); Juice of 1 lime; Handful of seasonal greens (spinach, kale, chard, tatsoi)

Let me introduce you to: Indian inspired, smokey & savory French green lentil dal with sweet potato and coconut milk.

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French green lentils absorb flavor while holding their shape when bubbling away with aromatics, spices, broth and coconut milk. This becomes a hearty, warming dahl that will absolutely solicit seconds or thirds. This is one of the first dishes I made for my mother-in-law. She took some home with her and had her mom taste some! I hope every recipe I share prompts you to share a meal with someone else.

This recipe is inspired by a lentil soup dish by The Happy Pear.

What is a dal?

Simply put, dal is an Indian dish composed of split lentils, beans or peas. There are many ways to prepare a dal, but most start with sautéing onion, garlic and ginger in ghee or butter, then, adding spices, lentils and broth.

French green lentils, what’s the difference?

French green lentils are an excellent legume to use for dal. They are NOT the same as green lentils. They are smaller and maintain their shape better during cooking. Mush is not what we are going for with this dish. French green lentils are also double the protein of green lentils. They are small but mighty!

Where do I find French green lentils?

I’m happy to have found Great River Milling company. They work with organic farmers to offer a variety of grains that they then mill in Arcadia, Wisconsin. I stock up on their French green lentils so I always can throw together a nutrient dense stew of soup!

lentil soup with sweet potatoes and coconut milk.

Let’s talk ingredients.

Just about every culture adopts a food “trinity.” Three ingredients that set their cuisine apart.

It makes them, them.

Native Americans coined the “Three Sisters,” companion planted crops, consisting of beans, corn and squash. Southern Italian’s have garlic, tomato and basil. A mirepoix (onion, celery, carrots) is the flavor foundation for just about every French dish. The Indian cooking trinity of onion, garlic and ginger is the start of this French green lentil dal. Tip for ginger: Keep the whole root in the freezer and grate into dishes. Skin on is fine.

The “trinity” serves as a spice vehicle, ensuring every warm, aromatic spice is evenly distributed throughout the dish. The layering of flavors creates a dal that is deeply flavored, complex, yet harmonious.

Indian flavors tend to be warm, smokey and earthy. What I love about Indian cooking is that it tastes like what our body needs. Warm, comforting, grounding and sustaining.

Flavor amplifiers.

Flavor amplifiers are those small additions, a squeeze of a lime, a dash of sugar, that really wake up the rest of the flavors and take the dish to another level. In this French green lentil dal the following flavor amplifiers were used:

Tamari. Gluten free soy sauce. It adds a saltiness and umami flavor.

Fish Sauce. More umami flavor, with a bit more savoriness. Pairs very well with tamari.

Lime. Lime rounds out the sharpness of the other two ingredients and overall brightens up a rich dish. Without it, the dal would taste heavy and a little flat.

I just unintentionally created another “trinity.”

Other Indian inspired dishes to try:

Butternut Squash Soup-Curry(ish) butternut squash soup with spicy and zingy Ajika roasted pepitas. Roasted garlic, butternut squash, sweet potatoes and a generous amount of spice come together with coconut milk to create a warm, fresh tasting soup.

Red Lentil Soup with Crispy Cauliflower and Rice-Warm Indian spices mixed with rich coconut milk and a kick of jalapenos make for a special meal that comes together quick. Pantry staples make this do-able any day or night of the week. Roasted cauliflower turns ultra crispy in a hot HOT oven, making them addictive and the perfect sidekick to a creamy soup.