Vegan Lentil & Potato Curry

 

If you visit my blog often, you'll know that lately I've had a complete obsession with making curries, and today is no different. I was looking around for some way to use up a cup of dried lentils I've had in my cupboard for a while and I thought that maybe, just maybe, they could work in a curry. BAM. I was so right. What's new, right? I'm beginning to think I have a knack for this whole "cooking" thing.

If you haven't cooked lentils before, they're really easy to cook. But, they are disgusting if you overcook them. There's a fine line between perfect lentils and overcooked mushy ones. When you cook lentils, check them often. The cooking times can vary greatly depending on the type of lentil as well as how old the lentil is. I cooked mine in veggie broth for about 20 minutes today, checking them often so I wouldn't overcook them. For this recipe, you want to still have some chewiness to the lentils because they will cook a bit longer in the curry. I boiled the potatoes for about 7-8 minutes to make them "fork-soft" to cut down on curry cooking time.

I'm all about brown rice, so I made some to go with the curry. It seriously went so well together that I can't imagine one without the other now. What I ended up doing is lightly toasting a garlic pita, then topping it with some brown rice, then the curry. Definitely the way to go. So, I highly recommend it. But, whatever. It's your dinner.

This recipe make enough for 4-5 giant entree-sized servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked lentils (1 cup dried, cooked in about 1 1/2 cups veggie broth, for about 20 minutes)
• 2 smallish Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/3-inch dice, then boiled until fork tender
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/3 cup plus 1 TB veggie broth
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped really small
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 of a white onion, roughly chopped
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 2-3 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/8 tsp cardamom
• salt and pepper

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet (that has a lid) over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the onion and carrot and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. 
2. Add all the rest of the ingredients and stir well to cover everything in spices. Cook for about 4 minutes, then cover with lid and turn heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Adjust your seasonings and serve with cooked brown rice. I like to eat mine on either garlic naan or a garlic pita bread. Sooo tasty!!