Ingredients for 4 to 6 people
- 200 g green lentils, sorted and rinsed
- salt to taste
- 2 Tsp vegetable oil
- 2 medium red onions, cut into 2 cm dices
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 whole star anise
- 3 whole cardamom pods
- 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground chipotle chili or red pepper flakes
- 225 g fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
put the lentils and 1 tsp of salt in a saucepan with 2.5 dl water. bring to boil on high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered. skim off the foam that forms on the surface. cook until the lentils are tender, about 25 minutes. drain and reserve.
heat oil in a heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. add the onions, garlic, star anise, and cardamom and sauté until the mixtures is fragrant and the onions begin to caramelize around the edges, about 5 to 6 minutes.
add the tomatoes and chipotle and cook until flavors are well combined.
transfer lentils to the pan with the broth and continue to cook until flavors are well blended, 3 to 4 minutes. stir in the spinach and cook for another minute.
serve hot with rice or flat bread.
this recipe has been taken from indian harvest, the new book by chef vikas khanna
a very interesting article about the benefits of spinach - cooking detective.com