Dec 10 2010
Thursday Dinner: Curried Lentils
We’re up to 20.5 inches of rain for the season. See above!
After last week’s meatapalooza, I went vegetarian – and possibly even vegan – this week, with:
Curried Lentils
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric*
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder or paste
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups dried red lentils (10 oz)
1 (13- to 14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 lb zucchini (2 medium), cut into 1/4-inch dice
Cook onion in oil in a 3 1/2- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until edges are golden, about 6 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, and curry powder or paste, and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Stir in water, lentils, and coconut milk, then simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in zucchini and simmer, covered, until lentils and zucchini are tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and serve with cilantro sprigs scattered on top.
Notes: As usual, I upped the garlic and cumin. You could use chicken or vegetable broth in place of the water. Supposedly, this serves 6-8 people, but we ate the whole thing. Served it with brown rice.
*Question: does turmeric do anything besides stain everything yellow? Enquiring minds want to know.