Yield: 4-6 servings

Here, my Sloppy Joes aren’t so sloppy.  I neatened them up a bit by serving them on a rice cracker boat lined with a fresh baby spinach leaf fora little starter or lite lunch.  But I served the mixture on whole wheat buns for my AP Students end-of-year dinner.  These more traditional “Joes,” with their nod to India, were a hit with these teenagers!

For my presentation here, I particularly like the “Sweet Chili” flavor of Quaker Oats Rice Snacks.  That is, I liked them until I discovered the monosodium glutamate in the ingredient list.  After a quick scan, I had been delighted that they didn’t contain whey or any other dairy as so many of the “ranch style” and other flavored chips/crackers do.  But, when I bought them a second time, a closer read revealed the MSG.  Darn! Alas, the “Joe” mixture is delicious on Melba Toast.

But back to the yummy filling: the lentils give it a texture somewhat similar to ground meat–so crumbled tempeh would be a fine substitute–and the flavor is rich and tomato-y like traditional Sloppy Joes, but raisins and spices give the dish warm undertones of India.

Usually when I’m creating a recipe, I am meticulous about writing down the ingredients and precise amounts.  However, in this case, I had purchased crushed tomatoes with basil because that’s all Trader Joe’s had, so the flavor was all wrong for what I sought.  I started grabbing spices and adding them by the spoonful in order to mask the Italian flavor and punch up the Indian.

The result was so good that I wish I hadn’t been so frantic.  At any rate, I remade the recipe for a report and videographer from WAVY TV yesterday when they were here to tape and the results were at least as good, if not better.  This time I got the measurements down exactly right.  Though inspired by Aarti Sequeira’s  Bombay Sloppy Joes, I not only substituted lentils, but used loads of additional spices.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 cloves garlic

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 small mild (or spicy!) chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon paprika + 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (or 1 teaspoon of either one)

sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup water

1 cup diced tomatoes with juice

1 cup tomato sauce (I just blended some of the diced tomatoes and juice)

1 pound steamed lentils (I purchase them already steamed at Trader Joe’s)

1/4 cup shelled pistachios

1/4 cup golden raisins (or dried cranberries)

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses or agave nectar

1/4 cup very thick coconut milk (like Chaokoh) or soy creamer

Optional (but delish): about 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

Accompaniments: 4-6 whole wheat buns, if serving as Sloppy Joes, poppadom if serving as an Indian “tostato,” or crackers/toasts if serving as an appetizer

Optional: small fresh baby spinach leaves to line the cracker before adding the Sloppy Joe mixture

In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering.  Add onions and saute about  3 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and some color is just starting to develop.  If you want to caramelize them for deeper color, keep sauteeing for a few more minutes and stirring until a warm caramel-y brown is reached.  Add garlic and bell pepper and saute 3 minutes more or until bell pepper is softened.  Lower heat if necessary to prevent garlic from scorching.  Add ginger and chili pepper and saute another minute or so until pepper is softened.  Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir to combine well, and saute about 1 more minute for flavors to release.  Stir in water, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Heat through, stirring frequently.  Stir in lentils followed by pistachios and raisins.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.  Stir in pomegranate molasses and soy creamer just until heated through.  Right before serving, stir in optional cilantro.  Serve hot over hamburger buns, spooned over a poppadom like a tostato, or in a bowl surrounded by crackers/toasts as a filling protein-rich appetizer.