Spiced Red Lentil and Coconut Stew
Your kitchen will fill with enticing aromas as soon as you start sizzling the initial ingredients of this vegetarian stew, allowing the lentils, fresh ginger and curry to intermingle as they gently simmer away on your stovetop. Depending on how strong you like your flavors, feel free to add more ginger, garlic and curry powder than the recipe calls for. The stew is a meal on its own, but it's also delicious with a side of warm focaccia or naan on a cold winter’s night.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- Knob fresh ginger finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2½ cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 14.5oz can tomato sauce
- ¾ cup cilantro chopped fine
- 1 13.5oz can unsweetened coconut milk
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté onion until it just begins to brown, roughly 8 minutes.
- Add finely chopped garlic, ginger, curry power and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Add lentils, tomatoes, ½ cup cilantro, salt and 2½ cups vegetable broth.
- Stir coconut milk thoroughly and add ¾ cup to pot, reserving rest for garnish.
- Bring ingredients to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook 20 to 25 minutes, until lentils are soft.
- Ladle into bowls and top with fresh cilantro, a drizzle of coconut milk and a squeeze of lime.