Garam Masala Red Lentil Toast
Terry Hope Romero is a cookbook author who lives, cooks, and eats in Queens, New York.
This recipe is featured in Protein Ninja - Finding Protein in a Vegan Diet
Indian-style beans — more specifically, lentils — on toast! Gently-simmered creamy red lentils spiked with ginger and curry powder are great on seed-rich whole-grain toast, even better when generously dusted with garam masala. Leftover lentils can be mashed with a little cilantro and spread chilled on hot toast or used as a dip for veggies.
- Prep less than 30 minutes
- Servings about 473 ml (2 cups)
Ingredients
- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) virgin coconut oil or olive oil
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) black mustard seeds
- One 1.3 cm (½-inch) thick piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) minced shallots
- 1 hot red or green chile, minced (optional)
- 150 grams (¾ cup) uncooked red lentils, rinsed
- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) mild or hot curry powder
- 2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) salt
- 7 ml (1 heaping teaspoon) tomato paste
- 100 grams (½ cup) diced fresh tomatoes
Topping:
- About 25 (1 pint) cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 50 grams (1 cup) fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, minced
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) garam masala, plus more for sprinkling
- 1.25 ml (¼ teaspoon) salt
- Hot multigrain or sourdough toast
Preparation
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and fry until they just begin to pop. Stir in the minced ginger, shallots, and chile and fry, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened.
2. Stir in the lentils, curry powder, salt, tomato paste, and 473 ml (2 cups) of water. Turn up the heat to high and bring to a rolling boil for a minute, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, creamy, and most of the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. The mixture should be like a thick sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the diced tomatoes. Keep covered while you prepare the topping and toast.
3. Make the topping: In a mixing bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, cilantro, serrano pepper, lemon juice, garam masala, and salt.
4. Arrange the hot toast on serving plates and slather with the warm lentils. Top with the tomato salad and sprinkle with more garam masala. Serve immediately.
Terry Hope Romero
Terry Hope Romero is the author of Protein Ninja: Power Through Your Day with 100 Hearty Plant-Based Recipes that Pack a Protein Punch (Da Capo Lifelong Books, February 2016). In 2011, she was named Favorite Cookbook Author by VegNews. She lives, cooks, and eats in Queens, New York.
Courtesy photo
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