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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.
Lydia Claire
I’m always a fan of curries!
Jenn S.
I love curries too, Lydia! There are some really delicious ones in this book! Good luck!
Josiane
I *love* Indian cuisine, and would be thrilled to add more of Richa’s recipes to my repertoire of Indian recipes. Being able to make naan at home would be terrific.
Jenn S.
She has a several yummy naan recipes in this book! Good luck in the giveaway!
Debbie L
This book & recipes sound & look Absolutely delicious!! I need this book! 🙂
Jenn S.
Yes, you do need it! 🙂 Good luck!
The Vegan 8
I LOVE Richa!! She’s such a wonderful cook, so talented and such a sweet humble lady! Wonderful post Jennifer and how exciting you got to be a taste tester!! I have loved every recipe I’ve made from her!
Jenn S.
Thanks, Brandi! Yes, it was so much fun testing for the cookbook. Every recipe of hers is a winner!
Suzanne
Other than a couple of very underwhelming experiences with grocery store curry, I haven’t had a chance to try very much Indian food. There is one Indian food restaurant about an hour away and that’s about it. I would love to expand my repertoire!
Jenn S.
Hi, Suzanne! Homemade curry beats a grocery store bottle every time!! You really should try some of these recipes. I think you would LOVE them. Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the giveaway!
Katie
I definitely like Indian cuisine. I would really like to try the South Indian Chickpea Eggplant Stew!
Jenn S.
Hi, Katie! You would LOVE the South Indian Chickpea Eggplant Stew…and so many others! Good luck in the giveaway!
Melissa K.
I have collected Indic cookbooks, but a VEGAN one! AWESOME! I love dals! and breads! Maybe dosa!
Jenn S.
Melissa, a collection of Indian cookbooks? How awesome! India cuisine relies so heavily on vegetables, it’s kind of odd that it’s so hard to find a vegan one, right? Thank goodness for Richa’s new book! You will LOVE it! Good luck in the giveaway!
DorothyK
Can someone tell me where Pistacchio Spoon Fudge has been all my life?! I have an obsession with Indian food. My late grandmother grew up in India, the daughter of missionaries, and every time we’d go visit her, she would either take us to the most amazing Indian restaurants or whip something up herself. Now that she’s gone, every bite of Indian cuisine I can consume is like having a piece of her with me, if only for a little while.
Jenn S.
LOL, right?! So so good! I loved reading your story, Dorothy. Thanks for sharing that with me. Good luck in the giveaway!
Christina-Marie
I can’t get enough curry recipes!
Jenn S.
I love curry too! It’s so good! Good luck!
Tomi
I have never had the opportunity to have much Indian food except Naan (which I love!) so I am excited to try evrything, especially if it has chickpeas in it! Looking forward to trying your recipes!
Jenn S.
There are some wonderful chickpea recipes in book, Tomi! And Naan too!! Good luck in the giveaway!
K.A.M. Boham
I love Indian cuisine. I can’t wait to try recipes with lentils and I’d really like to learn how to make my own naan.
Jenn S.
There are several naan recipes in this book. It’s not as complicated as you might think. And I really love Richa’s recipe for Baked Chickpea Flour Naan…it’s incredibly quick and easy…and delicious!
Richa
Awesome! Thank you for the phenomenal review Jenn! I am so glad you decided to branch out and signed up for testing 🙂 All the feedback during testing has definitely helped simplify the recipes!
Jenn S.
You are so welcome, Richa! I meant every word. It was truly my pleasure. I will cherish this book for a long time to come!
NaturallyAwesomeMama
I LOVE Vegan Richa’s blog. Don’t think I have made one thing from her blog that we didn’t love. However, I admit that I haven’t made any of the traditional Indian dishes on her blog :-/ It always seemed intimidating to me although I know I would love the flavors. I will have to try se once things calm down around here.. Thanks for doing a giveaway!
Jenn S.
It seems time consuming because of all the spices, but it’s really easy! I think you would love the traditional recipes! Good luck!
Mel @avirtualvegan.com
This book sounds fabulous and a great review by you! I can’t wait to buy the book. I’m going to make the Masala Lentils for dinner tonight. They sound amazing!
Jenn S.
Thanks, Mel! Please let me know what you think of the Masala Lentils! I was eating them straight from the pot!!!
Natalie @ Feasting on Fruit
I haven’t had much experience cooking or even eating indian food, but so many of the things you mentioned have me intrigued, especially the sweet stuff! It’s exciting to be introduced to a whole new world of flavors and dishes 🙂
Jenn S.
To be honest, Natalie, Indian food was one of those cuisines that I thought I wouldn’t necessarily care for. I wanted to branch out and try new things though and since I respected Richa so much from reading her blog, I thought it would be fun to test cook for this book. I was so surprised when I found I LOVED the flavors and it was so much easier than I imagined. These Masala Lentils are so good that the rest of my family almost didn’t get any…I was digging in right in the pot! 🙂 Good luck!