This spicy, saucy Moroccan Lentil Stew is packed with green leafies and infused with fragrant mint. Harissa paste adds sass and deliciousness. A vegan, gluten-free recipe.
For the past few weekends now, Desi has been a man with a mission: a mission to watch just about every version from everywhere around the world there is of the Pharrell Williams song, Happy.
And guess who gets to watch these videos with him? I love the song, mind you, because deep down under my cynical exterior is a die-hard optimist who believes that the sunshine's just waiting to burst out from behind every gray cloud. But, I'd grumble to him, I'd rather do something more fun with my Sunday afternoon. Like watch a Brit mystery where people in picture-perfect settings do horrible things to each other.
Over time, though, I started to get hooked. It is fun, really, watching people from all around the world get carried away on the wings of a song, like hot air balloons floating into space. Ahem. And there's something magical and uplifting about watching people from every corner of the globe enjoy the same song and dance the same way and realize that, in the end, we are really no different from each other.
I was feeling particularly sunny yesterday -- and happy -- after I made this warm, delicious Moroccan Lentil Stew with Spring Greens and Mint.
Moroccan food makes me happy. Really, it's that simple. Maybe it's the coriander and the cumin-- two of my favorite spices -- or maybe it's that amazing Harissa, a paste of chilies and spices that stirs magic into many Moroccan recipes, including this mindblowing Moroccan chickpea stew I had shared with you way back when.
I almost always have a jar of Harissa sitting in my refrigerator, and I make it with just about any chili I have on hand, and sometimes with a mix of chilies. If you are particularly sensitive to heat, make it with milder chile peppers, like ancho. If you like the heat, try a fiery chile like arbol. Either way, you will end up with delicious.
This Moroccan Lentil Stew is my second lentil recipe this week and I won't apologize for being repetitive because, really, there is no way one can get repetitive with lentils. The flavors of the sambar I shared with you last week and this stew couldn't be more apart. And the mint, a very spring-y touch, takes this recipe from excellent to divine.
Try it.
Moroccan Lentil Stew
Equipment
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup pink lentils
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 6 cups spring greens (can use spinach or baby kale for a variation)
- ¼ cup mint (chopped)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saucepan.
- Add the onions, saute until the edges start to brown, then add the garlic.
- Saute for a few seconds, then add tomatoes, coriander powder and cumin powder.
- Saute until the tomatoes thicken and turn darker, about five minutes.
- Add the lentils and stir to mix.
- Add enough water to cover the lentils by half an inch. Bring to a boil, then cover with a tight lid, lower heat to a simmer, and cook until the lentils are really soft, about 20-30 minutes.
- Stir in the spring greens and the Harissa paste. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil and let the stew cook another five minutes.
- Turn off the heat, add the mint and lemon juice, and check salt.
- Serve hot with some couscous, bulgur, or brown rice.
Nutrition
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More tasty vegan recipes from Morocco:
paul h. housman
Can you use something beside harissa paste? Sub ?
Vaishali
Add garlic along with the onions when sauteing and add more cayenne. The harissa does add lots of amazing flavor, but you can get a nice-tasting stew with these substitutions.
Joseph
I wish you could use grams as well as cups in your recipes, in the UK cups for me aren't a good measure of quantity, and I need to be accurate as I'm no chef.
Sunitha
Hi Vaishali,
When you say masoor dal, are you talking about the split masoor we use in Indian cooking? Or the whole pink/red/ brown lentils you'd find in a regular grocery store?
Thanks!
Sunitha
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Sunitha, I mean the Indian masoor dal -- the pink lentils I get here at grocery stores are the same. Cheers.
Deepti G Gujar
Hi Vaishali,
After being a silent follower finally getting a chance to try something from your recipe book. I feel you deserve publishing a book! 🙂
Can you share what kind of red chillies? I go to the supermarket and see so many kinds of red chillies that I get confused. Are you talking about the red thai chillies or something else? Also, if I want the taste of a chilli but without the spicy hit that leaves a burn at the back of my throat, what chilli would you suggest?
Thanks a ton! Glad your blog made it through. I hope you keep taking backups into an xml file from time to time. 🙂
Take care.
Vaishali
Hi Deepti, nice to finally meet you-- thanks for leaving a message, and for your kind words. You are awesome. 🙂
You can really use any red chili for this -- I used a mix of ancho, kashmiri and arbol, because those are what I had on hand. Even the standard red Indian chili we buy in Indian grocery stores -- if you have that at home -- would work. If you don't want a spicy burn, use a mild pepper, like ancho or even Kashmiri chillies which give great color but are moderately hot. Thai bird's eye chilies are pretty hot, so don't use those if you don't want too much heat.
And thanks for the reminder on xml files and backing up. I am going to be better about doing that in the future. I don't want to go through that horrible experience again-- I felt like I was letting all of my readers down, not to mention afraid I was going to lose the blog. 🙁
Deepti G Gujar
Hi, I cooked this with a readymade Moroccan Spice Mix that I got and it turned out spicy but delicious! 🙂 I also tried Mushroom Biryani. It turned out to be too elaborate but I survived and had a great result! 🙂
Thank you. Will keep visiting...
Vaishali
Hi Deepti, so glad you tried the lentils and the Biryani. I agree the biryani's a little elaborate-- maybe I need to post a quickie biryani version? But happy you liked it, and thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Pallavi Kulkarni
Your post was a gentle reminder that I have bookmarked Harissa and I really, really need to try it.
I wonder if this stew would pair well with some crusty french bread? I'd love that.
Vaishali
Hi Pallavi, it really is worth making some-- it's so super easy and gives such a terrific flavor hit. If you like your chili, you'll love this. 🙂 And yes, this would be perfect with crusty bread. Can you see my mouth watering right now? 🙂
marystestkitchen
Ooo This looks really delicious. We love spicy foods in my house. Another one added to the to-try list. I swear, half my to-try list is made up of your recipes!
Vaishali
Hi Mary, that's so sweet-- and kind. Hugs to ya! 🙂
Ellen Lederman
Sounds great. I do love Moroccan food but the local restaurant has little to no vegan options---so I will just make it at home. What a wonderful way to get lentils. And fresh mint makes everything taste zingy.
Can you explain what spring greens you used? It wasn't spring mix meant for salads, was it? I tried to google it and am still confused...
Vaishali
Hi Ellen, I use a mix of spinach, arugula and baby kale-- sold here in a box as a salad mix. There is a leafy vegetable called "spring greens" and I didn't mean that, so sorry if I confused you. You can use just one kind of green, spinach would be perfect by itself and watercress would be great here.
mary
It will take a lot more than a few days of tech insanity to suck you down a drain, my dear.
That looks like the perfect comfort food without all the saturates. You rock.
Vaishali
Hi Mary, thanks so much for your kind words! You rock too! 🙂
Maddalen
I am happy you're back! Your blog is great, and I really appreciate all your recipes.
Vaishali
Hi Maddalen, you're very kind. Thanks so much! 🙂
Raquel @ My California Roots
This looks delicious, Vaishali! So glad your blog survived. I've been a silent follower for a couple years now, and I would have been so sad to see it go away!
Vaishali
Hi Raquel, it was a little scary, but we got through it without too much damage. So happy you decided to comment-- and so happy you've followed the blog. 🙂
jcc2750
Thank you again for another amazing recipe. You have added so much to my cooking and i so look forward to your postings. I've been doing the same thing as you and your husband- watching all those amazing videos from around the world. We are all more the same than we are different.
Vaishali
Dear JCC, you made my day. 🙂 Thanks for your kind words, and so happy you've enjoyed the recipes. Those Happy videos are really quite something, aren't they?