In looking at my past posts I almost always serve Afghani dal with kale. No kale? No problem. This dish works just as well with broccoli which was the only green vegetable, aside from celery, that I had in the house. I also used chicken stock last night but Afghani dal is equally as good with veg stock if you are keeping it vegan. We also like to toast cumin seeds instead of using ground cumin but that’s really just a fussy extra step.

Red lentils are quicker cooking than their brown/green counterparts and the dish is ready to go with 15 minutes of cooking. Red lentils are coral colored in the bag but turn yellow when you cook them. I suppose “Coral-colored lentils that cook up yellow” took up too much labeling space.

Afghani Dal (red lentils with ginger)

2 tsp. olive oil
1 finely chopped medium onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tbsp. finely minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cumin (or toasted cumin seeds)
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
1 cup red lentils
2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt

Optional yogurt, sriracha

Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a medium sauce pan. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and saute for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the salt, turmeric, cumin, cayenne and let them cook in the pan briefly and then add the lentils and broth, stir and turn the heat up to high. When the liquid boils, turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook until the lentils are very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and adjust salt if needed. Serve with a spoonful of plain yogurt, a drizzle of sriracha, and rice, greens, warm pita or naan.