Red Lentils with Bagaar Spiced Turkey

Masoor dal, or red lentils, are a delicious and hearty meal. Now when baggar, also known as a tempered oil, is introduced to them it takes them to another level of flavor. You see the spices like cumin, coriander and mustard seeds are cooked in the hot oil and then aromatic ground spices like turmeric and cayenne, paprika and the like are then swirled in the hot mixture. This is usually poured on top of the cooked lentils and served.

For my Red Lentils with Bagaar Spiced Turkey I am introducing the bagaar spice oil to the ground turkey and vegetable aromatics. I want as much flavor incorporated into the ground turkey as possible. Then the meat mixture is mixed in with the starchy, thick red lentils and vegetables.

Rinse the lentils and in a bowl, cover with water and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside. Do not rinse, you don’t want to lose the valuable starch that will thicken the soup. The lentils almost triple in volume so that 1 cup of dried will turn to 3 cups of soaked lentils.

In a dutch oven or stock pot sauté the onions, garlic and ginger of several minutes for the soup. Next start cutting, peeling and dicing the vegetables. Seed and dice the Roma tomatoes and add to the onion mixture. Peel and dice the carrot and chop the celery. Add the chicken stock, vegetables and soaked lentils to the pot . Stir and simmer for 30 minutes.

Using gloves remove the stem, seeds and dice the Serrano chili. Chop the green onions and place both in a bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the cumin and mustard seeds. In another bowl, combine the spice powders. This recipe moves quickly when it comes to the spiced oil, so have all of your mise en place set up.

In a sauté pan heat the oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the cumin and mustard seeds and immediately cover so you don’t get hit with spluttering oil and seeds. Add the turmeric and paprika spices. They should sizzle and bubble a little, that’s the spices blooming and it’s exactly what you want. Do not burn them, 30 seconds tops as you shake the pan back and forth slightly. Pour into a dish and set aside.

Now crumble the ground turkey in the same pan and brown. Add the diced Serrano chili and green onions and sauté for several minutes. Next, add the ”bagaar” spiced oil mixture to the ground turkey and vegetables, toss to coat and mix well.

Add the ground turkey mixture to the simmering lentils. Stir to incorporate and continue to cook until 30 minutes are up. The starch from the lentils will thicken the soup.

Serve and garnish with chopped cilantro and warmed Naan bread to dip in and soak up that delicious, spiced soup. You can omit the ground turkey if you prefer a more traditional lentil soup. I like the heartiness it brings to the dish and makes it a complete, all-in-one meal.

Red Lentils with Bagaar Spiced Turkey

 

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Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Author: Kevin

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried red lentils
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 serrano chile, finely diced
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. Rinse the lentils and in a bowl, cover with water and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside. Do not rinse.
2. In a dutch oven or stock pot sauté the onions, garlic and ginger of several minutes.
3. Seed and dice the Roma tomatoes and add to the onion mixture. Peel and dice the carrot and chop the celery. Add the chicken stock and soaked lentils. Add the vegetables to the pot, stir and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Using gloves remove the stem, seeds and dice the Serrano chili. Chop the green onions. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, combine the cumin and mustard seeds. In another bowl, combine the spice powders. Have all of your mise en place ready because this will move quickly.
6. In a sauté pan heat the oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the cumin and mustard seeds and immediately cover so you don't get hit with spluttering oil and seeds. Add the turmeric and paprika spices. They should sizzle and bubble a little, that's the spices blooming and it's exactly what you want. Do not burn them, 30 seconds tops as you shake the pan back and forth slightly. Pour into a dish and set aside.
7. Now crumble the ground turkey in the same pan and brown. Add the diced Serrano chili and green onions and sauté for several minutes. Next, add the ”bagaar” spiced oil mixture to the ground turkey and vegetables, toss to coat and mix well.
8. Add the ground turkey mixture to the simmering lentils. Stir to incorporate and continue to cook until 30 minutes are up. The starch from the lentils will thicken the soup.
9. Serve and garnish with chopped cilantro and warmed Naan bread.

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