And honestly, I can’t decide which was better- the meal, or the amazing tap dancing number that made me rethink my whole life and career, and rue the day I quit tap dancing lessons when I was six. OK, the tap dancing was better. But since this blog is about food and not about how to further your career in musical theater, I’ll stick to what I know :-) And make no mistake- this meal was DELICIOUS. The dal alone (dal is an Indian stew made with lentils, peas, or beans) is easy to make, flavorful, and very healthy. I first made red lentil dal from one of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks, Meatless, from the kitchens of Martha Stewart. I adapted it to give it more of a kick, added poached eggs on top, and created my own yogurt sauce. The book is full of vegetarian recipes that are super hearty and unique, but are all very easy to make. I definitely recommend adding it to your collection! (And if you do, make the grilled polenta and balsamic mushrooms. Amazing.) The dal itself is vegan, so if you want to, you can leave out the eggs and yogurt sauce and enjoy just the dal on top of rice (or by itself as a thick soup!). I love the combination of everything together, though- the crunchiness and coolness of the yogurt and cucumber mixed with the spiciness of the dal, and the yolk from the poached eggs mixing in with everything and binding it together… yummmmmmmmm. It’s definitely an impressive dish to make for guests, and super hearty without making you feel too full after (like some typical brunch fare).
And like 95% of my recipes, it’s 100% clean, unprocessed, real food. Eating real food just gets easier and easier, once you get started. I don’t even WANT processed foods anymore, and if I do have any, something about them just doesn’t taste quite… right. It’s like I’ve developed a palette to detect additives and preservatives in food after kicking them for a long time. I don’t even TRY to steal hot Cheetos from my students anymore when they have them! When you read this recipe, please don’t be deterred by the long list of steps. This dish has many layers (rice, dal, eggs, and yogurt sauce), but each individual layer is SUPER easy to make, and you can make each thing while the rest of it cooks to have the whole thing ready in just about 30 minutes. I listed the instructions for all parts, including a trick for poaching the eggs by swirling the water and adding vinegar, below. If you like this recipe, you’ll love this Easy Shakshuka with Feta. Enjoy!
