Indian Lentil Curry

THIS IS A GUEST ARTICLE FROM ANDREW OLSON (AKA ONE INGREDIENT CHEF)

This is probably the best Indian dish I've ever made

If you've never had anything like this before, it's kind of the perfect middle ground between a curry, a soup, a stew, and a sauce. The feel of this dish almost reminds me of a classic American Chili, but with huge Indian flavours. I made this for dinner last night with basmati rice and whole wheat naan… it was one of the best meals I've had in a while. If you like Indian food, give this simple recipe a shot. I think you'll love it.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked black lentils
• 1 cup cooked red kidney beans
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 red onion
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon each dried spice: salt, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cayenne

• 1+ cup tomato puree
• 1/2 cup raw cashews (or 2/3 cup soymilk)
• Coriander , to garnish
• Basmati rice or naan, for serving

Prep: soak about 1/2 cup raw cashews to make a cashew cream that will add a ton of creaminess to the soup. If this isn't possible, you can sub non-dairy milk.

Step One

First, cook the black lentils and red kidney beans. You can certainly use canned or pre-cooked ones, but the flavours will be so much better if you start with the dry legumes and cook them yourself (especially with the lentils). Either way, prepare these, drain them, and set aside.

Step Two

In a deep skillet, warm a tablespoon of vegetable oil and add in a diced red onion, 3 minced cloves of garlic, and 1 tablespoon of minced ginger. Allow these to soften and then add in the spices right onto the onions: start with 1/2 teaspoon each salt, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cayenne. Give these 5 minutes.

Also, now would be a good time to start thinking about the rice (or naan bread) that you'll be serving with this curry…

Step Three

Next, add in the lentils, beans, and about a cup of pureed tomatoes. Use a fork to mash the lentils and beans right in the skillet. They don't have to be 100% mashed, just break them up a bit. Then allow this to simmer for at least 25 minutes, stirring regularly and adding water as necessary to maintain the stew-like consistency.

Step Four

Meanwhile, make the cashew cream. Simply blend the cashews with about 1/2 cup of water until completely smooth. Add half of this into the curry and reserve the other half for garnish.

Step Five

After about 25 minutes of simmering, give this a final taste and feel free to add any additional spices that are needed. Then, divide into bowls, drizzle on some cashew cream, add a garnish of coriander, and serve with basmati rice or fresh naan (Indian flatbread, pictured).

Be sure to check out Andrew's website for more amazing plant-based recipes!

Find our why he calls himself the One Ingredient Chef here.

READ THIS NEXT: [Recipe] Cornersmith's pear, lemon & rosemary chutney

1 Million Women is more than our name, it's our goal! We're building a movement of strong, inspirational women acting on climate change by leading low-carbon lives. To make sure that our message has an impact, we need more women adding their voice. We need to be louder. Joining us online means your voice and actions can be counted. We need you.