Red Lentil Sweet Potato Dal Backpacking

Red Lentil Sweet Potato Dal

Yield

2 servings

Prep Time / Cook Time

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Activity Guide

Backpacking, Bike Touring

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cloves garlic
  • 1-inch piece of ginger, grated or minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • pinch of red chile flakes (or more to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped tomato
  • 1 sweet potato (about 6 ounces), peeled and diced small
  • 1 3/4 cups water, plus additional water for rehydrating
  • 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup finely chopped kale or spinach
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Tools

  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Medium pot
  • Stove
  • Vegetable peeler
  • Dehydrator
  • Parchment paper or nonstick dehydrator sheets
  • Zip-top bag or other container

Method

At Home:

  1. Heat oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for about a minute. Add the mustard seeds, coriander, red chile flakes and turmeric. Stir fry for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute or two, until the tomatoes break down a bit. Add the sweet potatoes, water, and red lentils. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and lentils are tender. Add the kale or spinach and the salt. Continue cooking for about 5 more minutes. Taste and add additional salt and/or chile flakes.
  2. Let the dal cool slightly (just so it’s easier to handle), then spread on a parchment-lined (or use a nonstick dehydrator sheet) dehydrator tray. You may need to use a couple of trays depending on the size of your dehydrator.
  3. Dehydrate at 135 degrees F for about 8 hours, or until completely dry.
  4. Package dehydrated dal in a heavy duty zip-top bag or container of your choice.

At Camp:

  1. Place dehydrated dal in a pot with 1 1/2 cups water and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Heat dal on a stove until hot and fully rehydrated. This should only take a minute or two. Serve hot with rice or flatbread.