First of all the decision is, what colour lentil does one choose? Well, perhaps because I liked the colour best, or perhaps I had a grumpy 2 year old at the store and had to make a quick pick, but I went with the red lentil. Although it really appears more orange to me, the bulk bin assured me that it was red!
I had seen somewhere a curried lentil recipe, so I made up my mind to create these, I was thinking of a thick sort of lentily-type stew that could be spooned over some brown rice or quinoa. I also had some left over coconut milk which I thought would taste yummy too.
So here is what I did....
2 cups or so of red lentils, rinsed in cold water
1 1/2 cup of coconut milk
about 2 cups of water
1/2 chicken stock cube
small spoonful of curry paste
few shakes of the following.......
- cardamon
- cumin
- cinnamon
I put all this in a pot and brought to a boil, then simmered for about 20 minutes till the lentils were cooked.
I also cooked some garlic, onion and ginger in a pan then added it in about half way through.
Once it was cooked I served it over some rice with mango and veggies on the side and some red onion, cilantro and tomato on top.
Enjoy! Pretty easy peasy hey??
Now I learned a few things by making this. In retrospect I would of cooked the garlic, onion and ginger in the pot I was going to make the lentils in, then added all the stuff to the pot after. Then you get the goodness of the caramelized onions and garlic.
Also, I learned a couple of very important lentil lessons. First, next time I will use a little less liquid. Second, when making a lentil dish where you want the lentils to hold their shape, DO NOT use red lentils! They tasted wonderful, but didn't really live up to my expectations of a thicker dish to serve over rice, it was more of a curried lentil soup! So, next time I will try the green or brown ones, stay tuned for an update!
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