Red Lentil Dahl

I have this week off before I start my five week placement at a long term care facility. Working 7am-3pm will be quite an adjustment. I should probably start finding some easy and affordable lunch/dinner recipes that I can make useful for the next month and some, and even the future.

Something I do love is mushy food. Like mushy French fries and rice with stuff on it, risotto, mashed potatoes. Smoothies, Greek yogurt... You get the point. So I decided to venture into the world of Indian cooking and make some red lentil dahl.

It didn't take too long and it was pretty easy and delicious. I took two recipes and kind of blended the aspects I liked of each, into one recipe. Then I paired it with brown rice :)

 

Red Lentil Dahl (a fusion of the Taste.com.au recipe and one from The Taste Traveller)

• 2 cups (475 ml) masoor daal (red lentils)
• 3 cups (720 ml) water
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 cm fresh ginger, sliced
• 3 tablespoons (60 ml) vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) chili flakes
• salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) garam masala
• 3 to 4 tablespoons cilantro 

Directions

Wash and rinse lentils. Place lentils, 1 tablespoon of the oil, ginger, bay leaves, half of the tumeric powder and cinnamon in a large saucepan with 3 cups of cold water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring to prevent sticking for 10-12 minutes. Discard spices and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, rest of turmeric, cumin, garam marsala and chilli flakes and cook for a further minute or until fragrant. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and season to taste with salt. 

Add the lentils to the pan and mix well. 

Cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in 2 or 3 tablespoon cilantro. Top with remaining cilatro and serve with rice, naan break or pappadums. 

This can be make in advance and will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. You can also freeze it for up to a few weeks.

Tilapia and Scallop Ceviche

It's raining outside, I'm so tired, I didn't make it to yoga after school, and it has now taken three (!!) attempts to build my new ikea desk. Third times a charm and thank goodness I don't aspire to be a handy man. But on the bright side, I have some ceviche to look forward to having for supper.
I first tried ceviche at El Fogon a couple years ago when I was taken there by my Peruvian friend. I also have such fond memories of eating ceviche at a local restaurant on the beach in the Mayan Riviera with some girl friends. I have since experimented in making it with different kinds of white fish available to me (mostly from fish markets). I am now going through a seafood phase which inspired me to incorporate scallops. It is easy to prep and must be made ahead, just make sure to use really fresh ingredients since it is made with raw seafood.
Ceviche is typically made with raw white fish, marinated in citrus juices, such as lemon or lime (Peruvians also use bitter orange), and seasoned. Depending on the place, it is prepared in ways and seasoned differently, and a variety of seafood are incorporated.

The acidity in the lime juice will "cook" the fish and scallops (or to be nerdy about it, the citric acid will cause the seafood to become "denatured").

Tilapia and Scallop Ceviche
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 tilapia fillet
5 medium bay scallops
2 limes, juiced
1 tomato, seeded and chopped (cherry tomatoes halved is also a good choice)
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced and chopped into small pieces
1 avocado

Directions:
1. Cut tilapia and scallops into smaller pieces. Put into container and cover with lime juice.
2. Add cilantro, red onion and tomato. Mix well.
3. Chill covered in fridge to marinate over night.
4. Peel, seed and cup up avocado. Top with avocado and serve while it is cold!