Brown Lentil Dhal with Kale, Corn, and Preserved Lemon, served with Madagascar Pink Rice, Baby Lettuces, & Sungold Tomato (No Added Fat)

My wife and daughter returned this afternoon from their 3-week visit to India! My wife brought her sister-in-law with her - what a pleasure to have her with us on her first trip out of India! She is in the States for about a month, mostly with us, but also visiting relatives in Illinois and Wisconsin.

For my wife's sister-in-law, I wanted to make an Indian-inspired meal for this first dinner with us. I thought that I would make a dish with lentils in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. I've had good luck including small squares of kale, and thought that I would experiment with tomato; this past Sunday I enjoyed including green tomato in a pressure-cooked dish, but wanted to try a dish where a more robust tomato flavor would fit in. As a final touch, I had some preserved lemon and thought that it would contribute a nice taste. I was free to spice the dish as I made a vegan grilled cheese sandwich and a variety of vegetables for my daughter.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown lentils
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 vegan bouillon cube
• 2 small bell peppers cut into 1/2" cubes
• 3 kale leaves, stems discarded (composted) and leaves roughly hand torn into approximately 1/2" pieces
• 1 carrot (I wanted two, but just had one!) cut into 1/4" slices
• 1 cob corn, kernels stripped and cob discarded (composted)
• 2t chopped jalapeno
• 1T marinara sauce
• 1 tomato cut into 1/2" cubes
• 3 slices of preserved lemon, each slice cut into thirds (I used thin slices that I purchased from a self-serve olive bar; though it was preserved in oil, the amount of oil that made it into the dish is rather insignificant, so I still am labeling this as a no-added fat dish); alternatively, one could use an organic lemon, preferably Meyer lemon
• 1/4 t black salt (or regular salt)
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1/4 t mustard seed
• 1/4 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes

Process

1. I put the lentils, water, garlic, and bouillon cube in the Instant Pot and cooked for 12 minutes
2. When it cooled down a bit, I gently released steam and added the remaining ingredients, except for the onion. After stirring,  I turned the pressure cooker on for 3 more minutes of high pressure cooking.
3. When I was ready to serve, I gently released steam, mixed in the onion, and served.

I also had made some Madagascar pink rice cooked with mixed bell pepper and shallot. Tasty Sungold tomatoes with baby lettuces accompanied the meal.

Results

We all seemed to enjoy the meal. I loved how all the flavors worked well together.

Ideas for the future

I'd like to try using preserved lemons in other dishes. I should try cooking with Meyer lemons. Spinach goes great with dhal; I remember fondly such a dish that my Mom would make. I should try a green or red lentil dhal with spinach sometime.