Lentils and Rice Stew

Ever wondered what the difference between a soup and a stew is? I did! Soups are very common in my house. I never ventured to make a stew only because of my misconception that it should have non-vegetarian items like beef. Only, I was Wrong! I stumbled into this recipe from One-Pot Vegetarian dishes by Amy Cotler, which is again an adaptation from Yamuna Devi's 'The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking'. I have made a few changes like using Potatoes instead of cauliflower, regular yellow lentils instead of red/brown ones and onions instead of leeks.

Before I go to the recipe, here are briefly the differences b/w a soup and a stew:

Soups are generally watery or thin in consistency and should be served in a bowl. Soups can also be made with fruits.
Stews are thicker with chunkier vegetables/meat.
Soups are served as the first course whereas Stews can be served along with the main course.
Soups can be served hot or cold where as stews should be served hot!
Soups are quick to make; On the other hand, stews get their main flavor from slow cooking.

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp Paprika
3/4 cup long grain rice (8 oz is a cup )
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup Toor Dal
1 Medium Potato, Cubed
3/4 cup carrots and peas or just peas
2 tbsps butter

Cook the lentils in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle.Do not mash it. The lentils should retain the shape and be tender.
Heat oil in a pan and add onions, coriander, cumin, mustard, turmeric and Paprika. Saute until onions are golden brown.


Add the rice, salt and 4 1/2 cups water.
Bring the water to a boil and cook until rice is tender.
Add lentils and cook for about 15 minutes. Add Potatoes and cook till the potatoes are cooked.Add peas and carrots and cook till the stew attains oatmeal consistency.
Serve hot with sliced butter on top and cilantro garnish.


This is my entry to MLLA 14 hosted by Susan of The well-seasoned cook!

Suparna and Ramya have tagged me and passed me 2 lovely awards. Thank you so much for thinking of me and passing them my way.I will complete the tags in my next post!

Shri