Curried Lentils: Go try this at home!

First, I did this:

Then, I did this:

But after the carnage, there was this:

We had this dish at a meeting a few weeks ago and it was SOOooo delicious! I doubled the recipe for a church dinner. This is a savory vegan dish! When the onions, garlic and ginger are cooking, the kitchen smells divine!!!!  Then you add all the other yummy stuff… oh my!

My Notes:

1. Instead of Swiss Chard, I put in curly kale.
2. I cooked it the night before up to the final simmer (step #3 below).
3. Murphy’s Law… how it happened, no one knows, but I had a broken bag of regular lentils, so I made it with half red lentils and half regular lentils.
4. Have extra vegy broth on hand… the longer you cook this, the more the lentils soak up the liquid.
5. We did NOT put in the jalapeño or the almonds and scallions and it was just fine.

 

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes

from Smitten Kitchen

Yields 8 to 10 side-dish servings; 6 main-course servings.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, then minced
4 to 5 cups vegetable broth as needed
2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into
1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 pound Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 cup finely chopped tamari almonds, for garnish (optional), available in health food stores
1/4 cup chopped scallions, for garnish.

1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

2. Stir in 4 cups broth, sweet potatoes, lentils and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup stock, as needed.) Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

3. Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds if desired and scallions.

 

About Deb

Wife, mom, sister, pastor, bereavement counselor, friend and Buckeye. I Yam what I Yam. Frequently imperfect, completely loved by the Divine, and grateful.

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