Lentil Rice Casserole with Indian spices baked with chickpea flour dumplings. Use veggies and lentils of choice. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 64 minutes
  • Total time: 74 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Entree
  • Cuisine: fusion, Gluten-free, Vegan

Ingredients

Casserole:

  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Spice: 1.5 to 2 tsp garam masala + 1/2 tsp garlic powder + 1/2 tsp cayenne (or use biryani masala spice blend, or berbere, or use spice mix from the notes,)
  • 1/2 cup uncooked brown lentils (washed and picked for stones)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp onion flakes (or 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh onion)
  • 1/2 cup packed chopped spinach or rainbow chard (optional)
  • 2 medium tomatoes (sliced (1/8 to 1/4 inch))
  • 1/2 cup uncooked basmati or other long grain rice (washed and drained (I used white Basmati rice))
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 cloves optional
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 1/4 cups water (divided)

Dumplings:

  • 3/4 cup chickpea flour
  • 1/3 to 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala (or use 1/4 tsp each of ground cumin and coriander)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped lightly packed cilantro
  • cilantro and lemon juice for garnish

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven too 400 degrees F / 200ºc. Spray or brush oil at the bottom of a baking dish. Sprinkle half of the spice mix and bay leaf on the oil.
  2. Layer the washed and drained lentils to cover the bottom. Sprinkle the rest of the garam masala/spice blend, salt, onion flakes on the lentils.
  3. Layer greens on top. Gently pour 1 cup of water in the dish.
  4. Layer the tomato slices to cover the greens. Sprinkle washed rice on top. Sprinkle cumin, salt, and cloves on the rice. Gently pour 1 1/4 cup of water. At this point you can refrigerate the casserole, without disturbing it too much.
  5. Place foil and lightly seal. Bake at 400 degrees F / 200ºc for 50 minutes.

Dumpling:

  1. Meanwhile Make the dumpling batter. Whisk chickpea flour, salt, garam masala and baking powder. Add coconut milk, vinegar and oil and mix into a smooth thick batter. If the batter is too thin, add a tbsp or so more chickpea flour. Fold in the onion and cilantro.
  2. Uncover the baking dish. Spray water generously on top if the rice appears dry. Drop dollops of the dumpling batter on top. Place foil again on top and bake for 14 minutes.
  3. Remove the foil and broil for a minute for a crisper dumpling top (optional). Let cool for 5 minutes. Top with cilantro and lemon juice and serve.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.