One-Pot Campfire Masala Rice and Lentils

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A soft, savoury pot of rice and red lentils simmered with cumin, curry powder and tomatoes right on the campfire grate or a two-burner stove. Everything is shelf-stable, it all cooks in one pot, and it feeds four hungry people for the price of a bag of rice.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp ghee or butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp mild curry powder
• 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed if you have water to spare
• 3/4 cup dried red lentils
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 cups water

Instructions

1. Set a large heavy pot with a lid on a campfire grate over medium coals, or on a portable stove over medium heat. Melt the ghee, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 6–8 minutes until the onion is soft and lightly golden at the edges. Stir in the curry powder and cook 30 seconds more so it smells toasty.
3. Tip in the rice and lentils and stir for 1 minute to coat in the spiced fat. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the salt and 5 cups of water, and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot.
4. Bring to a boil, then move the pot to a cooler edge of the fire (or turn the stove to low) so it barely bubbles. Cover and cook 20–25 minutes, stirring up from the bottom every 5 minutes to stop it catching, until the lentils have collapsed and the rice is soft.
5. Take the pot off the heat, stir in a splash more water if it is thicker than a loose porridge, and let it sit covered for 5 minutes before serving straight from the pot.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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