Lentil Curry

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Lentil curry - COPYRIGHT. Recipe and photo by A Legume a Day (https://alegumeaday.com/).

© Photo by A Legume a Day

Lentil Curry

Serves: 6 – 8

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups dry (uncooked) red lentils
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 3 carrots
  • 1/2 – 1 jalapeño, or to taste
  • 1 Tbs neutral oil, to sauté
  • 2-5 garlic cloves, or to taste
  • 1 knob (~2-inches) ginger
  • 2 Tbs curry powder
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 15-oz. can coconut milk
  • 1 15-oz. can tomatoes – preferably fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 2-3 cups chopped kale
  • 2-3 limes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Cilantro, to taste
  • Plain yogurt, for topping (optional)

Directions

  1. Rinse the lentils, removing any debris or visibly damaged lentils.
  2. Clean and chop carrots and onion, and dice your desired amount of jalapeño. In a large pot over medium heat, sauté carrots, onion, and jalapeño with the oil and a pinch of salt until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally.
  3. While waiting for the vegetables to soften, cut the ginger into thin slices, mince the garlic, and clean and finely chop cilantro stems. If you have kale stems, you can chop these to add during the next step, too.
  4. Add the ginger (you can remove the slices later), garlic, cilantro stems, kale stems (if using), and curry powder. Sauté briefly, until fragrant. This will likely only take about 1 minute – you do not want the curry powder to stick or burn to the pot, so just sauté until you notice a nice aroma.
  5. Add in the lentils, broth, and coconut milk. Cook at a simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until lentils have softened. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the pot.
  6. After the lentils are cooked through, add the tomatoes and chopped kale, stirring to incorporate. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until kale reaches your desired texture. At this point, you can remove slices of ginger you find while stirring, or leave them in, according to your preference. If you leave them in, just let people know there are slices of ginger. If the curry looks thicker than desired, add a splash of water to thin it.
  7. Add the juice of 1 lime and taste for seasoning, adjusting as necessary.
  8. Serve with fresh slices of lime or a squeeze of lime, chopped cilantro, and yogurt.

Tips

  • Cilantro stems are soft and pack a lot of flavor. Try using them in your cooking!
  • You could use water instead of the vegetable broth, or a mix of water and vegetable broth. Adjust seasonings accordingly (example: you will need more salt if only using water).