Indian dal with spinach and cherry tomatoes

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 g lentils, red
• 200 ml coconut milk or 100 ml regular milk
• 600 ml vegetable stock
• 300 g spinach or chard, fresh or thawed
• 200 g cherry tomatoes
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 pinch of garam masala
• 4 shallots, cut into thin strips
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp ginger, chopped
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp cumin, crushed
• 1 tsp mustard seeds, black

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

Rinse the lentils in a sieve with water until the water runs clear. Drain. Sauté the shallots, chopped ginger, garlic, 2 teaspoons of crushed cumin, and mustard seeds in oil until the shallots are lightly browned. Add the drained lentils and pour in the vegetable stock and coconut milk. Season with cumin, turmeric, coriander, and grated ginger, and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that rises. Then, covered, simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the spinach and cherry tomatoes and simmer for 6-8 minutes, until the lentils are soft and cooked through. The mixture can become mushy. Finally, season with garam masala. Serve with rice or Indian naan bread. I prefer to eat it simply as a hot soup after a cold autumn or winter day.