It’s getting to be that time of year: when nothing is sounding particularly delicious, when I’m over roasting root vegetables, when I’m not craving anything, when I find myself staring at the pantry, then inevitably reaching for the lentils and spices and coconut milk. I’m not even sure why I made this recipe — I have two other curried lentil recipes that I love — but as I reflected (as one does after eating lentils?), I realized there were several influences:
How to Make Curried Lentils
This is the basic process for making curried lentils: This is a dish that can be tailored to your liking by adding more or less of any of the spices, and it’s forgiving, too — if you don’t have a spice or two, it will likely turn out well anyway. This version comes from Milk Street, and I’ve made a few small changes, which I’ve noted below. The most significant difference is the use of French green lentils, which hold their shape, in addition to red, which break down. The combination of textures is nice. PS: Addictive Black Lentils with Spinach and Labneh Here’s the play by play: Gather your ingredients. These are the two types of lentils I use: A microplane is great for finely grating ginger. Sweat the minced onion and smashed whole garlic cloves in coconut (or other) oil. Add the spices. Add the lentils, water, and coconut milk and simmer for about 50 minutes. Meanwhile, chop up some kale or other greens. Stir them in. Serve! 4.9 from 65 reviews I’ve made a few small changes:
In place of fennel, I’ve used cumin. The two spices are not similar, but I like cumin, and I like cumin in curries. You could certainly use both. I like to toast the cumin and coriander seeds and grind them in a mortar and pestle, but using pre-ground spices is fine. I like to use two kinds of lentils: French green lentils, which hold their shape, and red lentils, which break down. You certainly could use all red, which is what the recipe calls for. I’ve use kale in place of spinach. I omit the coconut and tomato garnish.
Don’t be afraid to make this ahead of time — it’s even tastier on day two. Recipe doubles well, too.
