SEASONED LENTIL STEW

Seasoned Lentil Stew image

Provided by Maya Kaimal

Yield Makes 6 servings (as part of a large meal)

Number Of Ingredients 17

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1/2 cup thoor dal (yellow pigeon peas) or dried yellow split peas, rinsed and drained
3 1/2 cups water, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon tamarind concentrate (preferably Tamicon brand)
2 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/8 teaspoon ground asafetida
1 medium boiling potato, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 small tomato, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 pound okra or green beans, trimmed and cut into thirds
1 small fresh green chile, such as serrano, Thai, or jalapeño, slit lengthwise with stem end intact
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 teaspoons sambar powder (see Cooks' Notes)
Salt
Fresh lemon juice to taste

Steps:

Bring dal, 1 1/2 cups water, and turmeric to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to very low and cook, covered (check occasionally, and if mixture appears dried out, add up to about 1/4 cup water), until peas are soft and break when pressed with a spoon, about 30 minutes (45 minutes if using split peas).
Meanwhile, dissolve tamarind concentrate in 2 tablespoons hot water, breaking it up with your fingers.
Heat oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook fenugreek seeds and asafetida, stirring, until fenugreek seeds begin to brown, about 30 seconds. Stir in remaining 2 cups water, potato, vegetables, chile, cilantro, sambar powder, tamarind mixture, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, until all vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Mash dal in saucepan with a potato masher or back of a spoon to form a coarse paste, then stir into vegetable mixture. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring in water as necessary to thin (consistency should be thinner than pea soup). Season with salt and lemon juice.