Coconutty Potato Lentil Curry

Curry sure isn't pretty, but it tastes kickass.

I've been meaning to make a coconutty curry for ages, but just haven't. Until today, that is. I had asked for inspiration and @greenvegnliving delivered. She recommended a recipe by Mark Bittman for potato lentil curry. It sounded tasty to start with, but I absolutely can't resist altering recipes like a mofo. I know; I'm a badass. You don't have to tell me. I added all sorts of flavor and goodness to the original recipe and it fucking rocks. I can't wait to have leftovers tomorrow. You do know that curries are even better the second day, right?

Serves 4 adults with rice and flatbreads

What you need:

• 1 can coconut milk (I used full-fat)
• 1-2 cups water
• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1 TB (or more) curry powder of your choice
• 1/2 tsp celery seed or celery salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp powdered mustard seed.
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1 small carrot, peeled and diced
• 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
• salt (I used a cool coarse black salt from Hawaii - NOT the sulfurous kala namak salt)

 What you do:

1. Heat a large-ish sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the lentils, 1 cup water and 1 can of coconut milk and mix well. Now mix in your spices except the salt (adding salt early in cooking lentil can cause them to not soften). Above are the starting measurements for the spices. Add whatever you want. 
2. Once the liquid starts to bubble, give it another stir, put a lid on the pot (slightly askew to let a tiny bit of steam out), then turn the heat way down to low. Simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Now, add in the onion, potato, and carrot. Here I added another cup of water because it had cooked down so far. Mix everything really well and put the lid on all the way. You'll cook this for about 20 more minutes on low. I set my stove timer to go off every 4 minutes to stir it. I just wanted to make sure it didn't burn to the bottom of the pot. Add more water and/or adjust your spices as needed. Cook until your potatoes are soft and everything tastes KILLER! The longer you simmer over low, the more time the spices have to develop a stellar, delicious sauce.