About the Recipe
I fell in love with this recipe before I ever tasted it. My housemate makes it often, and whenever those warm spices fill the house, I find myself wandering into the kitchen to see what’s simmering.
Now this easy, delicious red lentil curry has become one of my fall favorites. Its golden-orange color feels like autumn in a bowl, and its gentle warm spiciness is just what I crave as the evenings turn cooler. There’s something so comforting about wrapping your hands around a warm bowl while the scent of ginger, cumin, and garam masala lingers in the air.
Ingredients
• 1 tsp, avocado oil or good quality high Polyphenol olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 shallots, diced - cone #2
• 1 to 2 serrano peppers, diced (use less, deseed, or omit for less spice)
• Real Salt
• 5 garlic cloves, minced - cone #1
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated - cone #1
• 3 plum tomatoes, diced or 1 can diced tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili pepper or paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed
• 3½ cups vegetable broth or 2 bouillon and 3.5 cups of water
• 3 tablespoons natural almond butter or good-quality tahini - I like tahini
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Cooked rice or Sweet Potato Flatbread, for servings
Preparation
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the bay leaf and cumin seeds and toast them for 45 seconds or until fragrant.
Add in the shallots and serrano peppers, along with a pinch of salt, and continue to sauté for 2 minutes until the shallots have softened.
Stir in the garlic and ginger and continue to cook and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add in the tomatoes with another pinch of salt. Stir well to combine and cook the tomatoes until they start to break down, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
Next, add the garam masala, chili pepper, coriander, turmeric, and pepper, stirring them into the tomato mixture. Pour in the lentils and vegetable broth, then stir well. Raise the burner to medium heat and allow the lentils to come to a low boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with a lid and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the lentils have fully cooked through.
Remove the lid and stir in the almond butter until fully incorporated. Remove the pan from heat and add the lemon juice. Stir well, then taste and adjust salt to preference before serving.
NOTE: this will taste bitter until after you add the lemon juice.
FROM: The Peaceful Kitchen - Catherine Perez