Reprinted
with permission from Miraval
- Life in Balance , an incredible Arizona desert resort
and spa near Tucson.
I
was fortunate to spend several days at this beautiful and soothing
resort in 2003, as a speaker at a retreat called Life
Beyond Cancer for women cancer survivors. All the food was
delicious and prepared with healthy ingredients, but this stew
was special.
I
pursued getting this recipe and permission to reprint it for
all of you because I could discern that it contained ingredients
that I had not tasted before. In fact, I did need to purchase
two new spices - ground fenugreek seeds and asafetida, the latter
I found at Whole Foods Market.
Warning
- don't be alarmed when you open the bottle of asafetida
. It will smell truly awful, but interestingly, the awfulness
disappears during the cooking process, leaving the deep earthy
taste that attracted my taste buds to this dish. Although I
have not done so, onion and/or garlic powder may be substituted
to taste.
- 1
teaspoon ghee (I substituted olive oil)
- 1/8
teaspoon saffron
- 1/2
teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2
teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds
- 1/2
cup finely chopped leeks (wash carefully - white
parts only)
- 1/8
teaspoon asafetida
- 1/2
cup dried yellow split peas (found at Whole Foods
Market) or split mung dal
- 3/4
cup brown basmati rice
- 6-8
cups vegetable broth
- 2-3
cups chopped fresh asparagus
- 3
cups finely chopped kale leaves (no thick stems)
- 1
teaspoon sea salt (omit if used canned veg broth
or bouillon)
- 1/4
teaspoon ground cumin
Note:
I suggest soaking the dried yellow peas in water overnight prior
to adding to stew.
Directions:
- Heat
a medium-large saucepan over medium heat. Add the ghee, saffron,
cumin, fenugreek, leek, and asafetida and cook until the leek
has softened, about 2 minutes. (watch carefully as leeks can
burn
quickly)
- Add
peas, rice, and veg stock. Cook until the peas are soft and
rice is cooked, about 30 minutes.
- Then
add the asparagus, kale, and cumin, cooking an additional 5
minutes. Taste to determine if any salt is needed along with
more cumin.
Serve
with any whole grain bread, muffin, and fruit salad. Hearty enough
for a main meal; small bowls are appropriate for a light lunch.
Makes
6 servings. I
have made two huge batches of this stew in the past 3 months and
am not tired of it at all. Enjoy something new!
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