curried apple & lentil dal

Yesterday the weather took a little turn towards autumn. Figures, since I'm just about over my cold. At least the foggy mornings and cooler temperatures make it so much easier to think about stews and soups and warm bowls of curry. Looking through my cupboard the other day, I had a mason jar filled with red lentils. Their colour is so warm and inviting and it seemed like the perfect thing to make for a quick dinner. I also had that bag of organic MacIntosh apples, so I decided to use a couple of those as well. Curry was on my mind and it's nice to have a bit of sweet along with the heat.

I made a dal, which in India refers to any lentil or legume, but it can also mean any soup or stew using a legume. Since red lentils are really quick to prepare, I knew that this dinner would be ready in under 30 minutes. I like my curry spicy, so I used a spicy garam masala paste (my favorite is made by Patak), but any curry paste or powder will do. Just remember to taste as you go along and use a little at a time because you don't want your dal to be too hot! We served this with brown rice, steamed broccoli and a spoonful of mango chutney. A spoonful of yogurt would be lovely on this too, especially if you find your curry a little too spicy.

curried apple & lentil dal
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
1 green pepper, diced
2 small MacIntosh apples, diced
2 T garam masala curry paste
1 1/2 c red lentils
2 c vegetable broth

Heat oil on medium-high heat in a large pot and saute garlic, onion and ginger until fragrant. Toss in green pepper and apples and the curry paste, and stir everything until well combined. Add in lentils and broth, cover, and turn down heat to a simmer and cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Add a little water, if necessary, to prevent the dal from becoming to dry. Serve on top of brown rice and top with some plain yogurt or mango chutney.