This Sri Lankan Red Lentil Sambar is super easy to make! It’s a great vegetarian option of any night of the week and you can prep and take with you for lunch the next day when you are not fasting. I made half the portion as it’s Ramadhan and served with rice and stuffed flat paratha a top technique learnt from @naqiyah_mayat .
This sambar is, hearty,healthy,spicy. Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion chopped 2 tsp garlic 1 tsp ginger 2 green chilli chopped 2 whole red dry chilis 1 tsp Shan Masala Dhal seasoning 1 tsp methi seeds 1 tsp turmeric ½ tsp black mustard seeds ½ tsp cumin seeds Pinch salt 2 tbsp tomato puree 100g red lentils 200 ml Woolworths vegetable stock 1 tin light coconut milk 1 large handful spinach (shredded) Small handful coriander (shredded)
1. Heat olive oil in a deep pan and add the onion and fry it on a low heat for 5 minutes until it’s turning translucent. 2. Add the garlic, chilli, dry red chili and ginger to the pan and stir them into the onions until the aromas have been released. 3. Add the spices and seeds to the pan and fold them into the the rest of the ingredients. Keep stirring until you’ve released the aromas. 4. Add the tomato puree to the pan and stir it into the rest of the ingredients so they take on the red colour. 5. Add the lentils to the pan and stir them in to the rest of the ingredients so they take on the colours of the spices. 6. Pour the stock and coconut milk into the pan, fold them into the ingredients, turn the heat right down, put the lid on the pan and let the sauce simmer for 12-15 minutes (until the lentils are cooked). 7. Serve with rice and stuffed paratha. Stuffed Paratha Method and Filling: 1 chicken poached in garlic, salt and pepper and then shredded 1 medium sweet potato mashed 2 chopped chili 2 tbsp chopped corriander 1 tbsp yoghurt, mix in 1 tsp tikka masala powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Combine all the ingredients together. I used the Fatima’s frozen Roti/Paratha available in South Africa. Took 1 paratha put the filling in the middle and layered the second paratha on top. I dry fried on a non stick pan using spray and cook.
