The 30min Lentil Recipe I make on Repeat

On today's menu, a legit 30 minute lentil recipe I make all the time. The ingredients are accessible and it's max level comfort. Lei Hou Ma, how's it going Cantonese? Welcome to Young Man Cooking, I'm Will Young. Join me in this episode as we make a 30 minute meal that I make and enjoy all the time. Of course, if you enjoy today's recipe, be sure to give it a thumbs up, leave a comment below. Let's begin. Preheat the oven to 400. Using a paper towel, pat dry 350 grams of extra firm tofu. Slice the tofu into bite sized cubes. Alongside the lentils, the tofu will really add body and substantiate this recipe. Transfer the tofu cubes onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Spread the tofu out so that they cook evenly. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper to taste. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Place 1 1⁄2 cups of basmati rice into a small saucepan. Rinse and drain the rice 2-3 times to get rid of the excess starch. Crush 3 cardamom pods and add to the rice. This is just a simple step to add some subtle perfume to the rice. 1 1⁄2 cups of water. About 2 teaspoons of chili oil. This is a smoky, little spicy chili oil made in a previous episode. It looks like I have to make a little bit more myself. I'll leave a link in the description box below for you to check this out. Make it really easily at home. This chili oil will add of course that smoky, spicy aroma to the rice. Along with that cardamom, it's going to be fantastic. This oil will also help crisp up the rice, that bottom layer, just a little bit. Heat up the saucepan on medium-high heat. Place 1 1⁄2 cups of red lentils into a bowl. Lentils are so versatile, accessible and definitely a staple in my pantry. Rinse and drain the lentils then set aside. When the water begins to bubble, give the rice a good stir and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. 1 large red onion. You can definitely use a couple of shallots or white onions if that's what you have on hand. Finely dice the onion. I love making this recipe as it can be made quickly and good for both 3-4 portions, but of course you can multiply the ingredients to make more if you like. Finely chop 2 large pieces of garlic. Finely chop an optional red chili pepper. Saute pan. Medium heat. 2 tablespoons avocado oil. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. 1 teaspoon fennel seeds. Allow the seeds to fry for 20-30 seconds. The kitchen should start to smell amazing. By the way, if you've already checked out or picked up your copy of one of the 4 Young Man Cooking cookbooks, thank you so much for supporting the cooking show. To find out more information or to pick up your very own copy, there's a link in the description box below where you can find a digital or print version of these books or you can visit youngmancooking.com. Add in the red onions and saute for 4-5 minutes. Slice in half about 1 cup of cherry tomatoes. You can definitely use any tomato you have on hand. I find the cherry tomatoes slightly sweeter. Garlic and red chili pepper. Saute for a couple of minutes as the aroma and savoriness builds. 1 teaspoon salt. 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Half teaspoon cayenne pepper. 1 teaspoon turmeric. Give the pan a good stir. Add in the cherry tomatoes and saute for another couple of minutes. Use the juices from the tomatoes to deglaze all the amazing flavor from the pan. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off for the rice but let it steam further for another 10 minutes. Add in the red lentils. Give the pan a good stir. Add in 2 1⁄2 cups of water. You can also use veggie stock. It's completely up to you. Half cup of coconut cream. Optionally, leave a little bit aside for garnish. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Give the pan a good stir. When it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to just under medium. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes. Add about 100 grams of fresh spinach to the pan. Use a spatula to fold and wilt down the spinach. The spinach will cook quickly and should only take about a minute. 1 tablespoon garam masala. Give the pan a good stir. Add the baked tofu into the pan and give it one last stir. This recipe is packed with flavor and has extraordinary textures. When the rice is done, you can remove the kadmon pot which magically floats to the top. Fluff the rice using a fork or a rice paddle. Plate the rice. Plate generously. Garnish with a little bit of that coconut cream to serve. You can now cook up this amazing dish in a hurry with absolute confidence. So quick, so simple, and absolutely delicious. Man, that is so delicious, so comforting, just extraordinary. This is one of those visually rustic-looking dishes. It is so flavor-packed and max-level comfort. The red onion, the garlic, and all of those different aromatic spices just melt into this gravy. It's a little spicy from the cayenne pepper, it's salty, and it has that natural sweetness from the cherry tomatoes. The gravy is rich, it's velvety, the lentils literally just melt and create this nice, thick, robust texture. The baked tofu substantiates the dish and just adds a lot of body. That fluffy, pearly, white basmati rice is just delicately perfumed with that little spicy, smoky chili oil. And it has that subtle yet beautiful aroma that comes from the kadmon pods. The coconut cream adds this subtle fruitiness but also adds into that creamy texture. And there's just this slight hint of licorice from the fennel seeds. This is definitely a dish I'd make on repeat and there's literally no reason why I wouldn't. It's delicious, it's packed with flavor, comforting textures, and it can all be done within 25-30 minutes. Basically, the time the rice needs to cook. It's simple, delicious recipes like this that turns your kitchen and your house into amazing restaurants. If you love easy, delicious recipes like me, definitely check out or pick up your copy of one of the four Youngman Cooking cookbooks. There's a print or digital version available in the link in the description box below or you can visit youngmancooking.com. Of course, if you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to give it a thumbs up, leave a comment below. If you're not already subscribed with that notification bell clicked, be sure to do so so that we can cook together again in the next episode.