Red Quinoa and Curried Lentil Stew

Nice.
I've recently gone back to vegan eating and you've been dishing out some pretty good looking recipes. Thanks.

thanks Craig. We aren't vegetarian but have veggie/vegan tendencies.

Thanks for the recipe. I found that it took significantly longer to cook the moon dal – approximately 1 hour.

Are you using a split moong dal? They should only take 15 to 20 minutes to cook (a little less if you've soaked it).

"I found that it took significantly longer to cook the moon dal – approximately 1 hour."

As Laurie said, soaking them reduces the cooking time. For even faster cooking, try the salmon colored(red) lentils, also soaked. They will cook even quicker. Personally, I think they taste better as well but I am probably prejudiced, being married to a Bengali who grew up where they are the lentil of choice. Either way, you can't go wrong. They are both superb sources of protein and fiber, and taste great.

Tom… I'm a big fan of the red/salmon lentils too. I grew up with lentil soup as a staple. My Mom is Scottish but I'm not sure of the origin of her soup recipe. It was served with mashed potatoes.

I use lentils in so many things even a lentil pate that is much like a hummus-type dish. Of course, lentil salads are one of my favorites. I have an Indian Carrot salad I make on the trail and it uses uncooked but soaked split moong dal. Here's a photo…

"I grew up with lentil soup as a staple. My Mom is Scottish but I'm not sure of the origin of her soup recipe. It was served with mashed potatoes."

Now we're talking! Two of my most favorite foods in one meal. We do them with potatoes a lot, too.

That is a most yummy looking and, I assume, tasting salad, BTW.

Tom… you know you are the first person, outside of my family, who I've come across that doesn't shake their head at the lentils with mashed thing. Mom's lentil soup was always made with the stock from a ham bone too. I tend to lean to a more vegetarian-friendly style these days but there was something about the ham stock. Incidentally, shredded ham dehydrates beautifully.

Thank you. The salad was a tease, however, I'll pull the recipe out of the manuscript sometime this week and post it. On trips longer than 5 days or so, I really miss things like salad. That's why I make all of these salad-like concoctions. The little black things in this are pungent black mustard seeds (which are easily omitted if that isn't your cup of tea). The dressing is warmed on a stove and is a bit spicy.

"Tom… you know you are the first person, outside of my family, who I've come across that doesn't shake their head at the lentils with mashed thing."

It is very similar in concept to a classic Indian comfort dish called Khitchuri, which we have whenever my wife gets homesick, frequently in the long, dismal, PNW winters. ;)

"Mom's lentil soup was always made with the stock from a ham bone too. I tend to lean to a more vegetarian-friendly style these days but there was something about the ham stock."

I evolved along a similar path, Laurie. We didn't have lentils when I was a kid, but Mom used to buy a smoked ham shoulder once a week and make boiled dinner the first night, followed by either split pea soup or bean soup with the bone and remaining bits of meat on it. When I first discovered lentils, even before I met my wife, I used to cook them with a smoked ham hock, just like bean and pea soup. Though I no longer eat meat other than fish, the smell of a pot of pea, lentil, or bean soup with ham still makes my mouth water.

"The salad was a tease, however, I'll pull the recipe out of the manuscript sometime this week and post it."

If you post it, I will print it out, that's a promise. We are always on the lookout for new veg recipes, especially with lentils.

"The little black things in this are pungent black mustard seeds (which are easily omitted if that isn't your cup of tea). The dressing is warmed on a stove and is a bit spicy."

Black mustard seeds are ubiquitous in Bengali cooking. They appear in almost every veg dish and are frequently sizzled in a small amount of hot oil until they start to pop, then added to dahl(lentils) just before serving. They only make your dish all the more appetizing to me. YUMMMMM!!!

"Tom… you know you are the first person, outside of my family, who I've come across that doesn't shake their head at the lentils with mashed thing."

That makes me the second person then. I love dal curry. I use a 2:1 combination of moong dal and red lentils when I make mine…

As promised. If you wanted to lighten this up you could nix the fresh lime and use a packet of True Lime. This is especially nice if you have the dressing warmed but sometimes I just don’t feel like dragging out a stove.

Indian Carrot Salad
from Another Fork in the Trail

Vegan, Gluten Free
Dehydration Time: 6–10 hours
Makes 3–4 servings

Our friend Chander Bhardwaj is from India. Chander introduced Bryan to many interesting foods when they would lunch together at a little Indian restaurant. Bryan would sometimes bring home meals from the restaurant for us to try, and I was compelled to delve more into creating other Indian-inspired meals on my own. Moong dal, or yellow split lentils, are now a staple in our house, and they make this carrot salad a little heartier. The addition of black mustard seeds gives this flavorful dish a slight pungency. If you don’t like black mustard seeds, omit them.

2 cups boiling water
1/3 cup moong dal
2 cups carrots, coarsely grated
1/3 cup mango, coarsely grated
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 to 2 dried chile de arbol
1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds
juice of 1 lime
Pinch of kosher salt

At Home
Soak the dal in 2 cups of boiling water for 3 hours. Drain the dal and then mix with the carrots, mango, coconut, and cilantro. Spread on lined dehydrator trays and dry for 6 to 10 hours. Place the mixture into a medium-size ziplock freezer bag. Wrap the garam masala in a bit of plastic wrap and add the bundle to the bag with the carrot mixture. Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the chile de arbol and cook until the chili peppers start to darken slightly. Remove the chili from the pan and the pan from the heat immediately. Let the oil cool and then pour the infused oil into a leakproof container. Place the black mustard seeds in a piece of plastic wrap if you plan to use them and add the bundle to the carrot bag. Pack a fresh lime right before your trip.

At Camp
Remove the spice bundle from the freezer bag and set aside. Rehydrate the salad mixture in the plastic bag by using a formula of 1 1/2 parts dried mix to 1 part water. Wait 5 to 10 minutes, then add a little more water if needed. If you accidentally use too much water, be sure to drain the salad well before serving.

When the salad has rehydrated, dress it with the infused oil, garam masala, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, and a pinch of salt.

Tip
If desired toast 1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds in 1 teaspoon of the infused oil, heated, and add to the salad with the garam masala, lime juice, and salt. Don’t do this at home, as the black mustard seeds will make the salad really pungent when they’ve sat in the dressing too long. It should be done right before you serve the dish.

"As promised."

Thanks, Laurie. That is a great recipe. People like myself would kill for something like that after a week or so out in the hills eating what I generally eat in the name of lightitude And the techniques like black frying chillies and sizzling the black mustard seeds in hot oil would make you right at home in any Indian kitchen.

Thank you. My philosophy with food (as you can see) is lightweight and not ultra-light. I just like food too much to do it the super-UL way. That and I look at food as consumable. Of course, what I take really does depend on the trip but having something like this on Day 8 certainly makes it worthwhile. It's also good to hike with a partner—then I can sneak things into his pack… lol.

This recipe looks awesome, but "sambal oelek"?!? Do I have to get a mortar and pestle to make this stuff, or should I just order a jar?

I buy it in a little jar at my regular grocery store. I suppose you could make your own but the jar is sooo much easier. I think it was $2.50 or something like that.

Timothy, it is sold in most ethnic sections that have Asian products. You can get it online though – my old workplace importfood.com is a great source!