Luscious Lentil Curry
Deep, complex flavours characterize Indian cooking. Coconut milk adds a creamy richness to nutritious lentil dishes that simmer slowly to knit all the spices together. Adapted from Rainbow Plant Life, the version below is a mild curry, using chili powder instead of searingly hot serrano peppers. It also calls for green lentils, only because there were no red lentils in the cupboard. But good cooks adapt, and this turned out to be a restaurant-quality meal.
Serves: 4
Time: Total 50 minutes: 20 minutes prep, 30 minutes simmering
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced or grated
1 tablespoon minced fresh turmeric, or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons chili powder, divided in half
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
Kosher salt or sea salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon
Black pepper, to taste
1 cup (180-190g) red or green lentils
2 cups (480 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (14-ounce / 400g) can crushed tomatoes (or half of a 28-ounce can)
1 (13.5-ounce/400 mL) can full-fat coconut milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened creamy almond butter, commercial or homemade (see method below)
1/2 small lemon, juiced
1/2 cup (~8g) fresh cilantro or parsley, roughly chopped or 1/4 cup dried parsley
Method
Rinse the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear.
Heat a large, deep skillet or large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the garlic, ginger, fresh turmeric (if using), and 1 teaspoon chili pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent garlic from burning.
Add the cumin, coriander, chili powder, curry powder, garam masala, salt, and black pepper to taste, and cook for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant, tossing frequently to prevent burning. If using ground turmeric instead of fresh turmeric, add the ground turmeric now, along the the rest of the spices.
Pour in the vegetable broth, and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add in the lentils and the crushed tomatoes and mix well. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through and have mostly softened. If you find that the lentils are not quite soft after 25 minutes, add a few spoons more of broth or water and cook for another 5 minutes.
To make almond butter: Heat a frying pan to medium-high and toast 1/2 cup slivered almonds on the pan, stirring constantly until toasted. Remove from heat quickly to prevent burning. Cool the nuts for a few minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend the nuts, adding a few drops of olive oil as needed to add moisture.
Remove the lid and stir in the coconut milk, almond butter, along with salt and pepper to taste Continue cooking on low heat, uncovered for 5 to 8 minutes, until the curry has thickened and is creamy.
Finally, stir in the lemon juice as desired and cilantro or parsely, and turn off the heat.
Serve the curry with white rice, basmati rice and/or Indian flatbread, naan and garnish with additional cilantro or parsley. Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Deep, complex flavours characterize Indian cooking. Coconut milk adds a creamy richness to nutritious lentil dishes that simmer slowly to knit all the spices together. Adapted from Rainbow Plant Life, the version below is a mild curry, using chili powder instead of searingly hot serrano peppers. It also calls for green lentils, only because there were no red lentils in the cupboard. But good cooks adapt, and this turned out to be a restaurant-quality meal.
Serves: 4
Time: Total 50 minutes: 20 minutes prep, 30 minutes simmering
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced or grated
1 tablespoon minced fresh turmeric, or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons chili powder, divided in half
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
Kosher salt or sea salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon
Black pepper, to taste
1 cup (180-190g) red or green lentils
2 cups (480 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (14-ounce / 400g) can crushed tomatoes (or half of a 28-ounce can)
1 (13.5-ounce/400 mL) can full-fat coconut milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened creamy almond butter, commercial or homemade (see method below)
1/2 small lemon, juiced
1/2 cup (~8g) fresh cilantro or parsley, roughly chopped or 1/4 cup dried parsley
Method
Rinse the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear.
Heat a large, deep skillet or large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the garlic, ginger, fresh turmeric (if using), and 1 teaspoon chili pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent garlic from burning.
Add the cumin, coriander, chili powder, curry powder, garam masala, salt, and black pepper to taste, and cook for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant, tossing frequently to prevent burning. If using ground turmeric instead of fresh turmeric, add the ground turmeric now, along the the rest of the spices.
Pour in the vegetable broth, and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add in the lentils and the crushed tomatoes and mix well. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through and have mostly softened. If you find that the lentils are not quite soft after 25 minutes, add a few spoons more of broth or water and cook for another 5 minutes.
To make almond butter: Heat a frying pan to medium-high and toast 1/2 cup slivered almonds on the pan, stirring constantly until toasted. Remove from heat quickly to prevent burning. Cool the nuts for a few minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend the nuts, adding a few drops of olive oil as needed to add moisture.
Remove the lid and stir in the coconut milk, almond butter, along with salt and pepper to taste Continue cooking on low heat, uncovered for 5 to 8 minutes, until the curry has thickened and is creamy.
Finally, stir in the lemon juice as desired and cilantro or parsely, and turn off the heat.
Serve the curry with white rice, basmati rice and/or Indian flatbread, naan and garnish with additional cilantro or parsley. Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.