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Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen cookbook review and a recipe for Masala Lentils that you’re going to love!
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If you are in any way, shape or form interested in a plant based diet, I’m betting you’ve heard of Vegan Richa.
I’ve been following her blog for years now and have always loved her recipes.
On her blog, she posts not only Indian recipes, but creative and delicious plant based recipes of all variety.
One of my favorites from the blog is her Masoor Dal Tadka. I seriously CRAVE that dish.
Well, friends, Richa has written her first cookbook, Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen, Traditional and Creative Recipes for the Home Cook and it is a stunner!
I’m excited to tell you all about it today and share Richa’s recipe for Masala Lentils. Keep reading!
I “met” Richa in a Facebook group over a year ago and was lucky enough to become a recipe tester for her new cookbook.
When I first started testing her recipes, I wasn’t very familiar with Indian cooking, aside from the few recipes I had tried from her blog.
I admit I was a bit intimidated in the beginning, but I was excited about branching out and trying new cuisines. I am so glad I did!!
Richa is honestly one of the nicest bloggers I have had the opportunity to chat with. She is personable, helpful, kind and welcoming and this really comes across in her book.
Richa, having learned to cook from her mom, gives a nod to traditional Indian cooking, but has created her recipes to be easy enough for even the most novice home cook.
She does an amazing job of explaining all the spices, lentils, peas, beans, grains, flours, and other ingredients used in Indian cuisine, in the very beginning of the book.
She uses ingredients readily available in most supermarkets whenever possible and offers up variations in most cases when not.
I can honestly tell you that ANYONE can make these recipes! Let’s not forget that I have 3 kids running around, 2 of which are still pretty much reliant on me for most things of importance, all 5 of us with crazy schedules and yet I was getting these recipes on the table for easy weeknight meals!
Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen
There is no shortage of recipes in Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen. Here is just a sampling of what you’ll find:
Breakfast ~ Mom’s Chickpea Flour Pancakes, Indian Spiced Milk Tea
Small Plates and Snacks ~ Street Style Tempeh Wraps, Potato Quinoa Patties
Sides and Dry Vegetable Curries ~ Spiced Cabbage Potatoes, Easy Curried Green Beans
Dals ~ Butternut Coconut Red Lentil Curry, South Indian Chickpea Eggplant Stew
One-Pot Meals and Casseroles ~ Makhani Vegetable Pot Pie, Lightly Spiced Yellow Lentils and Rice
Main Dishes ~ Mango Curry Tofu, Potato Veggie Balls in a Garlic Fenugreek Sauce
Desserts ~ Doughnuts Soaked in Sugar Syrup, Pistachio Spoon Fudge
Flatbreads ~ Puffy Restaurant-Style Naan, Gluten Free Chia Flatbreads
Chutneys, Spice Blends and Basics ~ Quick Tamarind Date Chutney, Indian Chai Spice, Vegan Paneer
In addition to being vegan, many of the recipes are also soy-free, gluten-free, grain-free and nut-free and the recipes are marked as such.
Ok, my mouth is officially watering now. And just look at the gorgeous pictures! Richa did all the photos herself and they are just beautiful! They make you want to dive right into these dishes head first!
If you are a seasoned foodie who enjoys Indian food regularly or if you are someone who sticks to what they know and has never tasted the flavors of Indian cuisine, you are going to love this new cookbook!
Richa was generous enough to let me share a recipe from her new book with you today. I had such a hard time choosing which one…sweet or savory??
In the end, I chose savory because as much as I love and adore her desserts (hello, Fudgy Cardamom Squares), it’s her savory recipes that I crave and keep me going back for more!
Please enjoy this delicious recipe for Masala Lentils.
More vegan lentil recipes
And don’t miss these other Indian-inspired recipes:
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the star rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment with your feedback. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Don’t forget to order a copy of the Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen HERE.
Masala Lentils
Ingredients
- ¾ cup brown lentils picked over, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups water
- 2-3 teaspoons safflower or other neutral oil
- ½ cup finely chopped red or white onion
- 6 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek leaves or ⅛ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons sriracha or other hot sauce to taste
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 ½ cups chopped tomato
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro for garnish
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter optional
Instructions
- Combine the lentils with 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Partially cover and cook over medium heat until the lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
- While the lentils are cooking, make the tempering. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes.
- In a blender, combine the garlic, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, fenugreek, paprika, nutmeg, black pepper, sriracha, and 2 tablespoons of water. Blend to combine well. Add this paste to the onions in the skillet. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and salt, and cook until the tomatoes are tender, about 8 minutes. Mash the larger tomato pieces.
- Add the tempering to the lentils. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and spice. Garnish with cilantro and vegan butter, if using, and serve hot.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Dianna L Norwood
I boldly served the Masala Lentils to my family who does not normally eat Indian food & had no idea that this was an Indian dish they were actually enjoying until they were well into the meal. The meal was easy to prepare & turned out better than expected. Thanks for sharing.
Jenn S.
HaHa, love it! I guess you are an Indian food loving family after all! ALL of Richa’s recipes are amazing! Thanks for your comment, Dianna!
Tally
I am so glad I got this cookbook. After stocking up on the basic spices needed to cook Indian food, I’ve been cooking 3 or 4 recipes a week from this book….all delicious! And getting easier and easier. Super healthy and really don’t miss the meat, etc., because of the full flavor of these recipes. (But if you want, you can easily add different proteins instead of tofu or tempha.) Highly, highly recommend!!
Jenn S.
I’m so glad to hear you love it, Tally!! It is one of my favorite cookbooks too! So super flavorful, yet surprisingly easy! You should follow Vegan Richa on her blog and Facebook, too. So many more great recipes there! 🙂
Sailor Vegan
i made this today and my family loved it! Do you have any tips on keeping the lentils from drying out? I found that I had to add more than 2 cups of water throughout the cooking process, but it still came out a bit dry.
Jenn S.
Hi! The only thing I can think is that maybe your heat was too high. Once the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer for the remainder of the time. Hope that helps! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe though!
Crista
I heard all about Vegan Richa this past weekend at Vida Vegan Con – I’m dying to get her book!! xox
Jenn S.
Oh, man, how was it? I would love to go to Vida Vegan Con one year. Richa is amazing! Good luck in the giveaway!
p
Anything with lentils
Jenn S.
I’m with you! I love lentils! Good luck!
Rachel
I love Indian cuisine and would love to try the cardamom rice pudding!
Jenn S.
Great choice, Rachel! Good luck in the giveaway!
DJohnson
Everything looks so tasty. I would love to try the Potato Quinoa Patties.
Jenn S.
The Potato Quinoa Patties are one of my very favorites from this book! They are so good!
Kaitlin Statz
Looks wonderful! Vegan Indian food always hits the spot!
Jenn S.
Hi, Kaitlin. Thanks for stopping by! Yes, Indian food is so good, isn’t it? So flavorful and delicious. You will love this new book! Good luck!
Jini (@Jini_913)
My friend told me about Vegan Richa a few months ago and I love the concept of veganizing some Indian faves like Malai Kofta or Shahi Paneer. Hope to try some recipes from this book soon 🙂
Jenn S.
Hi, Jini. There are recipes for both of those amazing dishes in this new book! Good luck in the giveaway!
charulajmera
Everything, I just love indian food. ANd being a indian myself, i cook a lot of it.
Jenn S.
Oh, great! You are probably a pro already, but hopefully you’ll find some new favorites in this book. Good luck!
Michele W
I love Indian food but haven’t really tried cooking it yet. All the recipes you mentioned sound incredible but I’m really dying to try the Mango Curried Tofu and the Chili Almond Crusted Eggplant. For now, however, I’m definitely going to give the Masala lentils a try. All the spices are enticing and the recipe looks fairly simple, which is perfect for me. Thanks for the great review and for the chance to win!
Jenn S.
Hi, Michelle! The Chili Almond Crusted Eggplant is so good! I’m pretty sure I ate an entire eggplant by myself, but I just couldn’t stop! 🙂 I’m allergic to mango, so I haven’t tried the Mango Curried Tofu, but I can pretty much guarantee that it’s delicious! Please come back and let me know how you liked the Masala Lentils. Good luck in the giveaway!
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen
I love love love Indian Cuisine. I was cooking it a ton last year but somehow got out of the groove of cooking it this year! I’ve tried a few of Richa’s recipes and they are honestly always wonderful (love her mango chutney – yum!!!).
I love making vegan butter chicken at home but this dal here looks so comforting and delicious. Can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of this cookbook! 🙂
Jenn S.
Richa is the best! Ceara, she has a Butter Seitan Curry in the book that I haven’t tried yet, but it sounds amazing!