Lentilicious

Being gluten free I have to start looking for alternate sources of fiber and I can find this easily in lentils or dhaal as we call it in India. Lentils/dhaal are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Not only do lentils help lower cholesterol, they are of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. But this is far from all lentils have to offer. Lentils also provide good to excellent amounts of six important minerals, two B-vitamins, and protein-all with virtually no fat.

And most importantly my kids love them too. Here is a recipe using the pressure cooker to make an amazing Indian lentil dish. I use masoor lentils or dhaal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masoor#Types and it is the orange variety. This dish can be made without meat also.

Masoor Dhaal and Meat

Ingredients
• 1 pound of stew meat
• 3 cups of water
• 1 cup masoor dhaal
• 3 tbsp veg oil
• ¾ tsp red chili powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 1 ½ tsp coriander/cilantro powder
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp garlic
• Fresh chopped cilantro

Method
1. In a pressure cooker put 1 cup of lentils,3 cups water and 1 pound of meat
2. Cook on high and when it whistles put on medium for 20 minutes then take off
heat.
3. In a small frying pan put oil on medium heat, add all spices, ginger and
garlic and fry until well blended and a dark color and take off heat
4. Combine oil spice mix with dhaal and meat. If it’s too thick add some
water and put on low heat and cook for 10 minutes
5. Add fresh chopped cilantro as a garnish. Serve with hot roti/naan.