# Red Lentil Dal with Braised Veal and Fresh Vegetables

Hearty one-pot dal using open red lentils and expiring smoked paprika, with stewing veal braised in the pressure cooker. Lentils dissolve into the sauce, making the veal the star.

> **Note:** Original recipe was written for ground lamb. Adapted for stewing veal (`ID:veal-0311`, ТЕЛЕШКО ЗА ГОТВЕНЕ) — a braising cut that needs long cooking. The package instructions say 90 min in a pot; the pressure cooker on Solveig cuts that to ~35 min.

## Ingredients

**From inventory (use first - expiring):**
- [ ] ⚠️ 2 tsp smoked paprika `ID:paprika-smoked-kotanyi` (pantry-spice-paper, bb:2026-03 — use it up!)

**From inventory:**
- [ ] ~400g veal for cooking `ID:veal-0311` (pantry-fridge, bb:2026-03-14 ⚠️ USE TODAY)
- [ ] ~300g red lentils (open package) `ID:lentils-red-saban` (food2-bag, bb:2028-08)
- [ ] 2 onions (pantry-behind-stove, bb:2026-03-18:EST)
- [ ] 3-4 cloves garlic (pantry-behind-stove, bb:2026-06-04:EST)
- [ ] 2-3 fresh tomatoes (pantry-behind-stove, bb:2026-03-16:EST)
- [ ] ½ lemon, juice only (pantry-behind-stove, bb:2026-03-21:EST)
- [ ] 2 tbsp olive oil `ID:oliveoil-costadoro` (pantry-spice-stove)
- [ ] 1½ tsp ground cumin `ID:cumin-mykouzina` (pantry-spice-paper)
- [ ] 1 tsp curry powder `ID:curry-sklavenitis` (pantry-spice-paper, bb:2025-11 expired but fine)
- [ ] salt, black pepper `ID:pepper-black-harmony` (pantry-spice-paper)
- [ ] 1 can coconut milk `ID:coconut-oriental` (food3-canned, bb:2027-06) *(optional, for creaminess)*
- [ ] ~200g fresh spinach `EAN:20239060` (pantry-fridge, bb:2026-03-16:EST) *(add at end)*

## Equipment

**Solveig galley:** Pressure cooker is the key tool here — it tenderises the stewing veal in ~35 min instead of 90 min. You'll also need a second pot or a wide pan for the lentil base, or cook everything together in the pressure cooker (recommended — one pot!).

## Instructions

### Option A: All-in-one pressure cooker (recommended)

1. **Brown the veal** — Cut into 3-4 cm chunks. Heat oil in the pressure cooker (without lid) over high heat. Brown meat in batches, a few minutes per side. Don't crowd. Set meat aside.

2. **Build the base** — In the same pot, reduce heat to medium. Fry diced onions until golden, ~6 min. Add minced garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, curry powder, stir 1 min. Add chopped tomatoes, cook 3 min.

3. **Add lentils + meat** — Rinse lentils and add to pot. Return meat. Add ~700 ml water (or half water, half coconut milk). Stir. Season with salt.

4. **Pressure cook** — Lock lid, bring to pressure, cook on medium-low for **35 minutes**. Let pressure release naturally (5-10 min) before opening.

5. **Finish** — The lentils should have dissolved into a thick sauce coating the tender meat. If too thin, simmer uncovered a few minutes. Stir in spinach and cook 2 min until wilted. Add a squeeze of lemon. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

6. **Serve** — Eat as-is (very filling) or serve over rice (`ID:rice-pearl-krina-1`, food2-bag).

### Option B: Meat first, then lentils (more control)

1. Brown meat as above, then pressure cook meat alone with 600 ml water and 1 tbsp oil for **30 min**.
2. Release pressure, remove meat and shred/cut into smaller pieces.
3. In the same pot (with the cooking liquid), add spice-onion base, lentils, tomatoes. Simmer uncovered 18-22 min until lentils dissolve.
4. Return meat, add spinach, finish with lemon.

## Variations

> **Note:** The original package cooking instructions recommend braising the veal 90 min in a pot — Option A achieves this much faster with the pressure cooker.

- Add a pinch of cinnamon (`ID:cinnamon-aladham`, pantry-spice-paper) for Moroccan-style depth
- Coconut milk makes it richer and more Thai-inflected — add it in step 3

## Items used from inventory

| Item | ID | Location | Status |
|------|-----|----------|--------|
| Veal for cooking | veal-0311 | pantry-fridge | bb:2026-03-14 ⚠️ |
| Red lentils (open) | lentils-red-saban | food2-bag | open, use up |
| Smoked paprika | paprika-smoked-kotanyi | pantry-spice-paper | bb:2026-03 ⚠️ |
| Ground cumin | cumin-mykouzina | pantry-spice-paper | OK |
| Curry powder | curry-sklavenitis | pantry-spice-paper | bb:2025-11 expired |
| Olive oil | oliveoil-costadoro | pantry-spice-stove | OK |
| Onions (x2) | — | pantry-behind-stove | bb:2026-03-18:EST |
| Garlic | — | pantry-behind-stove | bb:2026-06-04:EST |
| Tomatoes | — | pantry-behind-stove | bb:2026-03-16:EST |
| Lemon | — | pantry-behind-stove | bb:2026-03-21:EST |
| Spinach | — | pantry-fridge | bb:2026-03-16:EST |
| Coconut milk (opt.) | coconut-oriental | food3-canned | bb:2027-06 |

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*Generated 2026-03-11, updated for stewing veal and pressure cooker (original planned for ground lamb)*