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

17 comments:

Rush said...

Khichdi? love it..anil and my comfort food!!
excellent dish and u made it look extremely delish

Ann said...

Lentil and rice.. humm must be yummilicious, Lovely recipe dear, Congrats on your Award and waiting to read the meme :P

Unknown said...

My kids fav, we call it Baby Khichadi without spices..yours look so comforting soothing...

Pari Vasisht said...

Very well explained differences b/w stew and soup. The stew looks very inviting and wholesome. Thanks for sharing Shri.

Susan said...

Such a pretty bowl of fragrant and flavorful goodness, Shri. Thanks so much for sharing it with MLLA.

Sushma Mallya said...

Never made this before...looks really healthy and delicious...will surely give it a try shri

Uma said...

yummy stew! looks soooo tempting :)

Lisa Turner said...

Your blog is just gorgeous and drool worthy, that's for sure. It appears we have similar tastes. Added to the google reader you are, because I don't want to miss out on any of your creations.

lubnakarim06 said...

Comfort in a bowl....looks yum...

Soma said...

Sounds like a thinner version of khichdi! the kind i made for my kids when they were little, with lots of veggies & i would eat the leftovers gladly. very comforting.

Shri said...

Rush!I should have prbly called it Stew err..Khichdi:P Well, I always make it with Moong dal and also it is a lot thinner as Soma said.But yes, it is very mild and tasty.My daughter gulped it..BTW she is a picky eater.She is the litmus test for me!

Shri said...

Lisa, Welcome to my blog and thanks for such kind words.
A2Z, It does taste a bit like oatmeal, so yes baby Khichdi is a cute name to give this dish!

Mythreyi Dilip said...

Sounds so healthy and looks so colourful. Similar to Hydrabadi Haleem. Great recipe!!!

Vrinda said...

Nice post Shri..i am not a soup person,but i lov stew especially with Appams,u r pictures r too good...

kittymatti said...

OMG!!! U have such a fantastic blog! Loved the photography too!
Thanks for yr visit..

ST said...

Yummy and tempting stew

Bergamot said...

The color is wonderful and it looks yummy. Thanks for sharing your Kreative blogger award with me. Finally, I got some time to post about it.

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