"Here, one traveling eastward will encounter, in succession, an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, a Russian American neighborhood, an Indian American neighborhood, aPakistani American neighborhood, and a Bangladeshi American neighborhood."
"Devon's Desi corridor is one of the best-known and largest communities of its kind in North America. It exists mainly on Devon between Ravenswood Ave. and California Ave. South Asian shops, restaurants and grocery stores abound along this strip, and it has become a popular tourist destination."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devon_Avenue_(Chicago)When you're in that stretch of Desi, you can smell curry and cardamon for what seems like miles! It's a wonderfully delicious place to wander about. I had no particular place to be or go. I took a 1/2 sick day and was playing hooky (for a damn good reason, so don't judge me) from work. I aimlessly popped in and out of a few stores. I love little neighborhood shops where I know my hard earned dollars will go towards supporting the folks that are also working hard to earn their own dollars. (Stop me here- but I think it's possible that supporting local economy actually might help the larger economy grow *gasp*).
With each pop in and out, I ended up loading my backpack with tons of spices, including Hot Curry Powder, a bunch of lentils and- Bonus!- I found a birthday present for my little sister, Nikki. I can't tell you what it is, since her birthday isn't until October, but it will involve her making food. Should I ever get to sample said food or at least get a picture of it, I'll post it. Fingers crossed I get a sample, since now I know the suspense is painful!
Fast forward 3 weeks: I am searching my cabinets for inspiration and put my fingers on the giant bag of red lentils and the Hot Curry- immediately, I could taste that day I wandered Devon.
Self to Self: "Man, I haven't had lentils in a while... I think that'll do it! Ooo, do I still have Na'an? Freezer, freezer in my kitchen, please tell me I have Na'an...I do- bitchin! (I know, cheese-y, but if you know me then you know that's what I am.) That's it then, Hot Red Lentil Stew with Warm, buttery Na'an. Mmm..."
Hot Red Lentil Stew
(I call it 'stew' because of the tomatoes. I don't know if that's really correct, but it works for me.)
- 1/4 C Red lentils (dry)
- 1 C Water
- 1/4 C Onions, chopped
- 2 Italian Red Ripe Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tsp Ginger Root minced
- 2 tsp Garlic minced
- 3 tsp Hot Curry Powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Grapeseed Oil
- 1/2 C Swiss Chard chopped
Make It
Prepare the ingredients. Chop the onions, tomatoes and chard. Mince the garlic and ginger. Mix the dry spices in a separate dish and pour the water into a measuring cup. This will all come together very quickly.
Saute onions in oil for 2 minutes. Add garlic, stir 2 minutes (over med-hi heat) add spices, stir, add tomatoes + 1 T water, cover 3 minutes to cook down the tomatoes.
Then add the rest of the water, bring to a boil, add the lentils. Return to a boil, reduce to rolling simmer and cook until lentils are soft. About 15-20 minutes. You may need to add water to get the lentils soft enough for you. When the lentils are soft to liking remove from the heat and stir in the chopped, fresh Swiss Chard. It will wilt in the stew but not cook down to mush.
Servings Per Recipe: 1
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 365.4*
Total Fat: 7.1 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 446.0 mg
Total Carbs: 61.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 12.5 g
Protein: 19.9 g
No comments:
Post a Comment