Spicy Crock Pot Dal Masala

It's time for another Secret Recipe Club recipe. This month I had Savvy Eats, which was a lot of fun. There were tons of great recipes--many of them healthy. And Julie also does this fun thing where she makes a big pot/pan of something at the beginning of the week and then shows you how you can use it as the base for different meals throughout the week. And you guys know I have a thing for a good leftover.

I also have a thing for dal, which I discovered last year during our Cheap Eat Challenge. Consequently, I chose to make this Indian lentil dish (though the orange bread with dark chocolate hasn't stopped calling to me either).

I tasted it before adding the butter and milk. It was s-p-i-c-y. Not that there's anything wrong with that... although I must admit that me and mine were happy to eat the more fattening, slightly less spicy finished product. Of course, by me and mine, I mean me and Kip. The kids took one look at this dal (and, yes, I've failed as a mother and my kids are hopelessly picky; it's a struggle), which isn't--admittedly--quite a beauty queen, and just ate the naan. You know what, sometimes things are so good I don't even care. Let them turn up their spoiled little noses because that means more leftovers for me. Ha. However, I must note that Julie's dal is beautiful. She used black lentils, which I could not for the life of me find in Evansville. I'm not sure if that's the reason or what, but hers was golden with colors mixed in while mine was brown.

Spicy Crock Pot Dal Masala
Serves 6-8
adapted from savvyeats
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 4-5 hours on low, 8-10 hours on high (You could probably do it stove top in 45-60 minutes, but I haven't tried.)
Cost: $1.80
onion: .25, ginger: .05, garlic: .10, lentils: .30, beans: .10, tomato sauce: .35, butter: .30, milk: .20, other stuff: .15)

1 Tbsp canola coil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic (this cooks a long time, so it doesn't come out overtly garlic-y, in case you were worried)
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled (about 2 Tbsp minced or about 2 tsp dry if you're in a pinch)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp chili powder (I used about half that; we're wimps)
6 1/4 C water
2 C black lentils (or another type lentils if you can't find black. I just used the regular greenish brown ones you can find anywhere)
1/2 C dried kidney beans (I used kidney, but I bet most varieties would work fine)
1 C tomato sauce
2 Tbsp garam masala (check your Asian market if you want it cheap or can't find it at a regular store)
2 tsp paprika
8 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 C cream

Heat a little oil in a pan and throw your onions in. Julie caramelized them, but I was in a hurry so I just let them get tender and a bit brown. I bet if you were in a super hurry, you could just throw your onions in the pot and call it good.

Puree the garlic, ginger, cumin, corainder, chili powder and 1/4 C water to create a paste. [I also threw the onions in here with a little more water. Kip doesn't like the texture of onions, so ours got pulverized.]

Stir in lentils, beans, and oil in the bowl of the crockpot (set to high) and coat it all in oil. Add spice paste, onions, tomato sauce, garam masala, and paprika. Top with remaining water and stir it.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. (Or on high for 4-5 hours, which is what I did.)

Thirty minutes before serving, stir in butter and milk.

Serve with a splash of cream and some cilantro leaves if you've got them and if they're your thing (they're totally my thing).

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