If you love traditional stews and you also love exotic flavors, then today is your lucky day because this lentil curry stew includes your two fantasies in one dish. This recipe for curried lentils is as simple as it is surprising, because it combines one of the most recurrent and popular legumes and a spice that, although we know it well, does not fail to provide an exotic touch.
With canned legumes we can not only prepare quick 100% vegetable stews but also fajitas, quick stir-fries and legume salads. I always have a jar of cooked lentils and chickpeas for shortcuts but I went the long-winded winded approach today, using dried lentils. This recipe is quick compared to a traditional stew. It takes a little less than 1 hour and a lot of love put into it. To save time and make a quick stew, one can of course use pre-cooked lentils. This sometimes has a bad reputation since some people consider it unhealthy food (because it comes already processed), but this is not the case.
A perfect dish for any time of the year and the delicious taste of this lentil cream will conquer you! Rich, easy to prepare and healthy. It is also very convenient to freeze and take out when you are in a hurry but you want to eat something nutritious and tasty. What are you waiting for?
Prep Time: 19 mins
Cook Time: 50mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
50g butter, unsalted
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1.5 tbsp ginger, finely minced
1 onion , finely chopped
2 tbsp curry powder, mild or spicy
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper , optional
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
200 dried lentils , green or brown
400ml coconut milk , full fat
400g canned tomato, crushed or diced
750ml water
To Serve:
1 small handful coriander/cilantro, finely chopped
Yogurt, optional
cooked basmati rice (or other rice)
Instructions:1. Melt
butter in a pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Slowly
cook, stirring every now and then, for 10 minutes until tinged with gold
and the onion is sweet. 2. Turn the heat up to high, add curry powder and turmeric and stir for 90 seconds. 3. Add
remaining ingredients and stir. Bring to simmer, then place the lid on and
adjust heat to low/medium-low so it's simmering gently. 4. Simmer
for 30 minutes, then remove lid and simmer for a further 10 minutes to
reduce the sauce. 5. Lentils
should be soft, the sauce should be thickened and creamy. If it's too thick, add
water. Too thin, simmer with the lid off so that it thickens quickly. 6. Stir through half the coriander, then taste and add more salt if needed. 7. Serve over basmati rice, sprinkled with more coriander and a dollop of yogurt, if desired.