Dinner Diary Day 3: Lentil Curry

I have a couple of curries and a dahl recipe in my repertoire that most certainly would not remind any Indian person of their mom’s cooking but taste great to our family. My husband and I love Indian food, especially dosas. Unfortunately, we’ve never been to an Indian restaurant that could moderate their spice level enough for the kiddos. So we’re stuck with my quasi-Indian meals at home unless we sneak out on a date night.

I serve this with brown rice (or white Jasmine if I’m feeling extravagant), and naan or pita bread. Honestly, this curry really doesn’t need rice, but we are all incapable of eating any kind of stew or chili without it. We do not fear carbs in this house.

The original recipe from the Washington Post calls for red lentils, but I know those can be tough to find. When you do find them, it can be tough to rationalize paying that much for dried beans. So I have often made this dish with regular lentils (the kind sold in one-pound plastic bags in the bean aisle). The downside of using regular lentils is that the cooking time almost doubles, but either way this dish comes together in under an hour.

Everyone likes this except my son, who tolerates it. Last night he picked out all the lentils and peas using his finger and thumb like pincers and wanted to leave the rest. Because he had stolen my prized kettle-cooked potato chips and devoured them all before dinner, I made him sit there and finish. As is often the case, this was more punishment for me than him, as I had to endure all the moaning, the bathroom breaks, and the reheating of the rice until he finally got it down.

This is one of those dishes that doesn’t overwhelm you with excitement at first bite, but by your fourth or fifth bite, you’re in love. I can almost set a timer for my mom’s response when I serve this to her. She says nothing until about five minutes into dinner, when she blurts out, “I think this is delicious!” as though it’s a huge revelation.

Like most stews, it improves overnight and is even tastier the next day and the next. It’s great to heat up for lunch leftovers.

Lentil Curry (adapted from the Washington Post)

Servings: 6

Time: 30 minutes (with red lentils); 50 minutes (with green/brown lentils)

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root

3 tablespoons curry powder

3 teaspoons ground cumin

2 cups water

1 cup dried red lentils (or green lentils)

1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 cup frozen peas

1 14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk

In a medium pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder, and cumin, and cook for 1 minute. Add the water, lentils, tomatoes, peas, and 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt. For red lentils, cook uncovered at a gentle simmer for about 20 minutes until the lentils are tender. For green lentils, cover the pot and simmer for about 40 minutes until lentils are tender. Stir in the coconut milk and bring back to a simmer. Taste for seasonings and serve with rice and/or naan bread or pita.