Vegan Lentil Curry

Vegan Lentil Curry

It’s recipe Friday! I love when I get to share a recipe I created with all of you. Sharing is something almost all of us enjoy. Especially when it’s something we are certain other people will love. I am a big fan of curries. I enjoy the different takes on these dishes you will find throughout the world. They can be spicy and savory, even a bit sweet, but always delicious.
 
My first introduction to curry was a Japanese style curry that a friend made in college. I fell in love with the first bite. It was what gave me the courage to try out a Thai restaurant across the street from my apartment and it opened my eye to a world of flavors I never knew existed. (I was afraid of spicy food at that time. I grew up in Minnesota where black pepper was considered spicy.) I’ve since expanded my horizons eve further and this curry recipe is more of an Indian style curry. 
 
This recipe is simple and easy to prepare. It takes some time to cook but it freezes and stores well. I make this over the weekend and freeze it in meal size containers with a bit of rice and have it for lunch throughout the week. It will store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days but you can freeze it for up to a month. 

Curry Spice Mix

The spiciness level of this dish is mild. You can kick it up or down by the number of chilis you add. I find that two is about perfect for me, enough heat that I can feel it but not so much heat my tongue feels like it’s going to burn off. My husband always adds hot sauce but his heat tolerance is through the roof. (He used to carry around a powder made from dried and ground up Thai chilis everywhere he went but it caused troubles when he forgot to remove it from his key chain before a flight.)
 
The flavor profile of this dish is layered through the spices used and the addition of mushrooms and tomato paste to add a “meatiness” that vegan dishes often lack. I puree the mushrooms into a paste after cooking because I feel the texture is better without chucks of them, but feel free to experiment with the texture yourself by adding other vegetables or skipping the puree step in the recipe.
 
Toasting spices will bring out the flavor and enhance the tastiness of your dish. It seems like an unnecessary step but I assure you taking the minute to toast your spices before adding them to the dish is well worth it. I use actual seeds for some of the spices and grind them in a mortar and pestle (spice grinder would work too) but you can use already ground spices if you don’t have a way to grind the spices yourself. Just know that grinding your own spices is a fresher, more intense flavor.

Browning or Caramelizing Onions

Browning the onions before you add them to the dish is another way to add depth of flavor to your food. It doesn’t take long but by browning them you add another level of “meatiness” to the dish. It’s similar to browning meat. Its’ why you should always brown your roast before you put it in the oven to cook. (That and the browning traps in juices, but there’s flavor in that maillard reaction I promise.)
 
However you make this dish, I promise you it will taste good. One of the common complaints about vegan food is how tasteless it is. Vegetables, beans, and grains require seasoning to taste good. It’s not a complicated process and with a few easy additions anyone can make vegan meals taste great. (Even those self-proclaimed awful cooks can do it. All it takes is a tiny bit of patience and the willingness to experiment.) So, give this lentil curry recipe a go and let me know what you think?

Vegan Lentil Curry
 
Prep Time: -10 min
Cook Time – 45-50 min
Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients:
1 medium onion diced
2 Tbsp tomato paste

5-6 button mushrooms finely minced; about 1 ½ cups
1/2 cup red lentils

2 tsp Coriander seeds
1 cup brown lentils

1 tsp cumin seed
1 can coconut milk -about 16 oz

½ tsp whole cloves
8 cloves of garlic; minced

2 tsp turmeric
4 cups water

¼ tsp mustard seed
2 T vegetable oil

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 T dry white wine

¼ tsp cinnamon
1-2 minced red chili’s (Optional)

½ tsp salt
 

 
Directions:

• Toast coriander, cumin, and cloves over stove top stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 sec.
• Add spices to spice mill or mortar and pestle and grind together. (you can use dried spices instead of seeds here but the flavor won’t be quite as good.)
• Sautee onions and in vegetable oil until translucent and browned; about 5 minutes
• Add mushrooms and chilis and cook until mushrooms and chilis are tender; about 2-3 minutes more.
• Add tomato paste and stir until everything is well blended and the tomato smell as lessened; about 2-3 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook until fragrant; about 30 sec.
• Add white wine to deglaze and cook another minute.
• Put mixture in food processor and blend into a paste. (You can skip this step but I like the only textured pieces of the curry to be the rice and lentils. The paste makes the curry smoother with a more even texture.)
• Put paste back in pot and add water and spices, stir until dissolved
• Add coconut milk; bring to a boil and reduce heat.
• Rinse lentils and add them to pot; stir.
• Cook at a gentle simmer for 40-50 minutes until lentils are tender. The curry should thicken on its own but if it’s too watery you can add a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken. If too thick, add a bit of water or coconut milk until it’s the desired consistency.
• Add salt and pepper to taste after it is fully cooked. This is always a good step as not everyone has the same taste for salt.