Red Lentil Coconut Curry
Red Lentil Coconut Curry
Serves: 12-14 | Prep time: 30 minutes | Total time: 1.5 hours
For a long time, I admittedly did NOT have my shit together in the kitchen. A typical dinner in my 20s was usually just some haphazardly combined cheap bodega vegetables, a can of chickpeas, curry powder, and whatever else was hanging around in my sad Chicago apartment after a blistering cold 10-mile run. All together it made a somewhat palatable veggie “mush” and the resulting dish was filling, cheap, and boasted an extremely low calorie content. Perfect for a young go getter with an escalating eating disorder to boot! As I made this recipe again and again, chopping, tasting, and perfecting all of the ingredients, I learned that not only do I love to eat, I truly love to cook! While in its early days it was a simple stir-fry, after hundreds of batches and tweaks, it has morphed into a curried “stew” and is one of the first dishes I ever made for Lisa. Serve over jasmine rice, and top with some full-fat yogurt, a squeeze of lime and some cilantro—the results are seriously heavenly and VERY freezable
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 red bell peppers, cored and finely chopped
2 jalapeños, seeds removed and finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp garam masala
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp salt (or more)
7 cups water
2 cups split red lentils
2 15 oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 15 oz cans unsweetened coconut milk
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” chunks
4 limes, more for serving
Jasmine or Basmati rice
Fresh cilantro
2% fat Greek yogurt
Directions
Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pan on medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the onions and peppers and cook for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables have softened and start to take on some color.
Stir in the ginger, spices and tomato paste and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes until the mixture is toasty and fragrant.
Next, pour in the coconut milk and let simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Mix in water and add lentils, potatoes and chickpeas and simmer uncovered for 30-35 minutes, until potatoes and lentils are soft.
Squirt in those limes! Taste and adjust with more salt or lime juice if desired (I recommend tasting and salting as needed throughout).
Serve over basmati or jasmine rice, then top the final product with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro and a dollop of Greek yogurt with a few lime wedges on the side. :)
