Red Lentil and Tofu Dal: Simple & Nourishing for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

A nourishing bowl of red lentil dal this week, with added protein from tofu cubes. Stirring in a spiced oil adds flavor to this simple vegan soup.

Gourmet says, "In India, lentils, along with other dried legumes such as peas and beans, are called dals, and the word also refers to the dishes made from them. The creamy consistency is enhanced by the addition of tender cubes of tofu, which are remarkably similar in texture and color to paneer, a mild fresh Indian cheese that's often added to dals."

Red Lentil and Tofu Dal
Slightly Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook, Edited by Ruth Reichl
(Serves 4)

4 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced 
2 tsp finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger 
1 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
6-7 cups water or broth (I used a veggie no-chicken broth)
1 lb firm tofu
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala or curry powder
salt to taste
generous pinch of cayenne (I used Aleppo pepper)
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro
cooked rice to serve

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over moderate heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden. Add ginger and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add lentils and broth, bring to a just a boil, and gently boil, uncovered, until lentils fall apart, about 20 minutes. Remove heat and keep warm, covered.

Meanwhile, rinse tofu and trim ends. Cut tofu into 12-inch cubes and gently press between paper towels to remove excess moisture. (Note: I pressed my tofu block overnight, then cut it into cubes.) 

Heat remaining oil in a small heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until a shade darker, about 1 minute. Add garam masala, salt, and cayenne and cook, stirring until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds.

Stir hot spice oil into lentils, then gently stir in the tofu cubes. Let curry stand, covered, for 5 minutes to allow flavors to develop, then stir in cilantro and salt to taste. Serve with rice.

Notes/Results: It's not the prettiest or most glamorous soup out there but it definitely smelled great cooking and tasted even better. I liked the creamy chucks of tofu in with the dal. I added a bit more liquid than the recipe called for but since dal tends to thicken when it sits, I think I won't have to add more liquid when I reheat it for lunches.It recommends to serve the dal with rice which makes for filling meal. I would happily make it again. 

Linking up at I Heart Cooking Clubs where this week's theme is Global Delights. Ruth Reichl recipes with a global flare.

Now let's look into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here:

Beth Fish Reads, host of the fabulous Weekend Cooking shared a tasty Farro Waldorf Salad and said, "The good news is that with Trader Joe's 10-minute farro, I was able to put this salad together in a snap. And because I used powdered (and reconstituted) buttermilk for the dressing, I wasn't stuck with a bottle of leftovers. The main thing I did differently was to use regular raisins. I thought I had golden raisins in the house, but I didn't, so just went for black ones."

Here at Kahakai Kitchen I made a delicious sandwich this week, with egg salad on top for a recent book review. This French-Inspired Egg Salad has cornichons, Dijon mustard, and chives on top and tasted even better served open-faced on toasted baguette slices. I had an olive and bean salad mixture from the grocery store olive bar on the side. 

About Souper Sundays:

Souper Sundays (going since 2008) now has a format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches at any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here. 
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to it on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy, healthy week!