The Spiced Life

Musings & Recipes From My Kitchen

  • Home
  • About Me
  • FAQ
  • Dishes By Region
  • Archive and Index
  • Creative Cookie Exchange
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Indian recipes / Potato, Pea & Lentil Hash with Indian Flavors

Potato, Pea & Lentil Hash with Indian Flavors

September 10, 2009 By Laura 5 Comments

Sharing is caring!

  • Facebook
  • Yummly
  • Twitter
  • Email


I am extremely comfortable with Southwestern/Mexican flavors. Which is not to say that I know everything there is to know about Southwestern and Mexican cuisines, because I do not, not by a long shot. But I make soups, tortilla casseroles, hashes, and just basically “invent” them on the fly.

Today, while contemplating our choices for lunch at about 10 am (the only relevance being I had time to fiddle–a playdate was canceled at the last minute), I thought to myself surely I have learned enough about Indian flavors that I could invent an Indian potato hash for our lunch. And I was right!


The great thing about one pot dishes like those discussed above is that they can be continually tweaked, twiddled and improved upon. So the first thing you should know is that if I were to make this dish again there are some things I might change. For example, I might use green lentils, instead of red, for a less gloppy hash. The second thing you should know is that whether or not I would change it, you should if it suits you. The recipe is a blueprint, nothing more and nothing less. The last thing you should know is that potential future changes aside, this was mighty tasty.


Potato, Pea & Lentil Hash with Indian Flavors
recipe by The Spiced Life

For lentils:
1/2 cup lentils of choice
2 cups water (1/2 cup to 2 cups was the ratio for red lentils–double check if using another type of lentil)
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 ground coriander
1/2 t cayenne or paprika pepper
salt to taste

For hash:
1 T ghee (plus more as needed)
1 T vegetable oil (plus more as needed)
2 t brown or black mustard seeds
2 t cumin seeds
1 t nigella seeds (kalonji)
3 medium/large onions, thinly sliced
several pinches of salt
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 T grated ginger
1/2 t turmeric
1 T ground cumin
1 T ground coriander
1 t cayenne or paprika pepper
8-10 medium potatoes, boiled until barely tender, cooled, and sliced into bite sized chunks
13 oz frozen peas (I used 1 bag plus a second partial bag–1 10 oz bagis probably enough but I really love peas)
cooked lentils
1-2 t garam masala, to taste
salt to taste

plain Greek yogurt for serving

Bring the lentils and water to boil in a small pot. Set aside to simmer until tender (or even mushy, in the case of red lentils–red lentils will take about 15 minutes). Add the spices and a pinch of salt. Stir and set aside.

Heat the ghee and oil in a large skillet over high heat. Keep the ghee and/or oil handy in case you decide the pan needs more later. When the fats are shimmering hot, add the onions with a pinch of salt. Fry on high heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Keep some water nearby in case you walk away and the onions start to burn–the water will quickly cook off and no harm will be done. Add another pinch of salt after about 7 minutes and keep frying. You want the onions to become dark golden brown, but not burnt or black. This can take up to 25 minutes and requires frequent stirring.

When you think the onions are about right, turn the heat down to medium high and add the garlic and ginger. Fry, stirring, for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat yet again to medium and add the spices (except the garam masala). After another minute, turn the heat back to medium high and add the potatoes. Toss the potatoes with the onion spice mixture until they are even;ly coated and cooked through. Add the lentils and toss again. Add the peas and toss. Add the garam masala and toss, tasting for salt and/or more garam masala. Serve with yogurt.

Filed Under: Indian recipes, lentils, peas, potato dishes, potatoes

« To Try Tuesday Vol. 4
Feta Cheese With Eggs, Peppers, Zucchini, & Tomatoes »

Comments

  1. Palidor says

    September 10, 2009 at 10:41 am

    That looks very good! I think you've definitely got great Indian flavour in it.

    Reply
  2. noble pig says

    September 10, 2009 at 4:10 pm

    Wow, you are good. Looks delicious.

    Reply
  3. Joanne says

    September 11, 2009 at 5:26 am

    Congrats to you for reaching this point in your cooking! I think it really says a lot about your culinary abilities when you can just create something from scratch with no guidelines. Sounds delicious.

    Reply
  4. Lele says

    September 11, 2009 at 3:09 pm

    That sounds heavenly. I do spinach and lentils together, along with some of those spices. I think lentils and cumin are basically a match made in heaven.

    Reply
  5. That Girl says

    September 12, 2009 at 7:36 pm

    With everything you know about South Asian cuisine I would definitely come to you for advice on Indian dishes!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I’m Laura and I am a recovering history major who has re-channeled all of my passion for learning about the history of different countries to learning about their food culture. That doesn’t mean every dish on here is strictly authentic, but it does mean that even my adaptations are not undertaken lightly. My goal is to show you–by doing–that these dishes are possible in your kitchen. Including desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Read More…

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Instagram
Enter your email here and never miss a post!

Popular Posts

  • Restaurant Style Beef Vindaloo
  • Taralli Dolci di Pasqua (Southern Italian Easter Cookies): #CreativeCookieExchange
  • Moroccan Inspired Couscous Bowl with Ground Beef, Veggies and Caramelized Onions (redux)
  • Mexican Ramen Bowl
  • Grandma’s Beef and Noodles
  • North Indian Baked Eggs: Review of Seven Spoons
  • Bengali Mahi Mahi with Mustard Seeds
  • Saag Gosht (Beef in Fragrant Spinach Sauce)
  • Ash-e Anar (Persian Pomegranate Soup with Meatballs)
  • Middle Eastern Scrambled Eggs with Meat and Onion: Review of An Edible Mosaic

Copyright © 2008–2023 The Spiced Life