Brown Lentils and Zucchini with Lime: No Meat, No Problem
A Fragrant and Flavorful Vegan Option
Brown Lentils and Zucchini with Lime | Dara O’Brien
By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press
In an alternate universe I have a large country/lake/beach house where I do a lot of cooking and entertain a stream of appreciative guests. I hop on my bike for early morning visits to the local farmers’ market. My jar of antique tasting spoons is at the ready and I put up many gallons of homegrown tomatoes every summer. I grow three kinds of lettuce in my in-ground vegetable garden and I turn my own compost.
In my real life I have and do none of those things. I’m at about a three on the Ina Garten meter. Unless the baseline is someone who never cooks and thinks apps are strictly for your phone; then maybe I’m a five.
The domestic goddess paradigm doesn’t intimidate me, though—even Martha Stewart has quick recipes, Nigella Lawson has been known to use canned beans, and Ina says store-bought is fine. Do I bake bread daily and clip sprigs from my herb garden? No. But this week I made a chaat masala spice mix for the first time, and it was a good thing.
Chaat masala is a key ingredient in a recipe I wanted to try: Brown Lentils with Zucchini and Lime from “Flavors First” by Indian Chef Vikas Khanna, published by Lake Isle Press. The interplay of spices is essential to Vikas’s cooking (and all of Indian cuisine); cooking from his book has opened my eyes to ingredients I’ve never tried. There’s usually multiple spices or blends in even the simplest of his recipes— his Forbidden Rice and Peas Pulao has just three main ingredients (rice, onions, and peas) but it uses two kinds of cumin seeds, a bay leaf, salt, pepper, and garam masala (which is a blend of nine ingredients).
Since I’ve been exploring not just Indian cuisine, but African and Middle Eastern for a while now, my spice cabinet is fairly well stocked. I had every ingredient I needed for chaat masala except carom seeds and mango powder. I forged ahead to make it without carom seeds and swapped in sumac for mango powder. This gives me domestic goddess points for knowing how to make do or registers as an incomplete, depending on one’s perspective.
The chaat masala was warm and tangy, with a touch of sweetness; it lent a subtle yet distinctive flavor to the zucchini. Lentils provided a nice, earthy balance, and with the addition of brown basmati rice, it made for a simple and satisfying plant-based meal. I could still taste the barest hint of spice hours after I finished eating.
Because I’m cooking for one, I cut the recipe in half—but I still got four meals out of it. I made the lentils all at once, but prepared the zucchini in two batches. After tasting the first batch, I upped the chaat masala from a half to about two thirds of a teaspoon. It was even more flavorful and still didn’t overpower. I was able to share that second batch with a friend, who gave me a flash of goddess contentment when she happily cleaned her plate.
In an alternate universe we have all the spices we need for any dish and they are perpetually fresh. We take care of ourselves and our planet with grace and aplomb. We thoughtfully cultivate our gorgeous country/lake/beach home, or whatever our version of paradise is, and live exemplary lives that make the world a better and more welcoming place.
For me, the act of cooking is a window to that universe. It may not come with an outdoor kitchen replete with landscape lighting, an integrated sound system, a sub-zero fridge and a pizza oven, but it’s a start.
Brown Lentils and Zucchini with Lime
Brown Lentils and Zucchini with Lime | Dara O’Brien
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups dried brown lentils, picked over, washed, and drained
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes
⅓ cup water
1 fresh green chile pepper (such as serrano), minced
1 teaspoon chaat masala (see below)
Juice of 1 lime
PREPARATION
Place the lentils, turmeric, and salt in a large pot, cover with water by 2 inches, and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam. Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons of oil, and simmer until the lentils are cooked and still firm, about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the lentils.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and fry until they start to crackle, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden brown, 5 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and cook for 2 minutes, stirring until well combined. Add about ⅓ cup water and cook until the liquid is evaporated and the zucchini is cooked, about 3 minutes. You may need to turn the heat to high if the zucchini finishes cooking well before the water evaporates. Stir in the lentils, green chile, chaat masala, and lime juice and cook until well combined, about 5 minutes.
Brown Lentils and Zucchini with Lime
from “Flavors First” by Vikas Khanna, Lake Isle Press, 2011
OTHER RECIPES FROM THIS BOOK
Brown Basmati with Caramelized Onions and Broccoli
Cabbage and Mushrooms with Turmeric-Infused Butter
Chicken Tikka Masala
Dill and Cardamom Chicken
Orange-Ginger Chutney Recipe
Spring Onion and Pea Soup
Sweet Eggplant Chutney
Yellow Lentils with Turmeric and Ginger
Flavors First draws from celebrated Indian Chef Vikas Khanna's culinary journey from his native India to his experience as a Michelin-starred chef in New York. With entire chapters devoted to every part of an Indian meal (even breads, chutneys, desserts and beverages) and an ingredient and spice glossary that includes tips on handling and storage, Flavors First is an indispensable resource on Indian home cooking.
“Vikas Khanna's enthusiasm for food is so intense that it practically explodes off the page. I could taste the dishes just by reading the recipes.” —Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Find out more
Buy the book
Chaat Masala
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 ½ teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon carom seeds
1 tablespoon green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 to 10 cloves
1 tablespoon mango powder
1 dried red chili
PREPARATION
In a heavy-bottomed pan, such as a cast iron skillet, over medium-high heat, add the cumin, fennel, coriander and peppercorns. Dry-roast until the aroma becomes highly fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Combine dry-roasted spices with remaining ingredients and grind to fine powder in a spice grinder. Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid for up to 3 months.