Meatless Monday: Cauliflower Lentil Curry

Posted on

I love a good curry.  Panang curry is my current go-to when ordering out.  And, while I usually satisfy my curry craving with take-out, it is surprisingly easy to incorporate curry into home-cooked meals.  Each time I’ve attempted a curry recipe at home, I’ve been rewarded with nothing short of yumminess!  (Very technical term, here!)

Tonight’s meal does not disappoint!  Cauliflower is not one of my staple vegetables.  It just seems to me, well, boring.  And, I’ve found that if I find an ingredient or recipe “boring,” I don’t get excited about fixing it.  That usually leads to me suggesting a spontaneous eat-out.  I find myself pinning lots of cauliflower dishes to my recipe board, but I think this is the first one to make it onto my menu.  During dinner, I said to Hubby, “The cauliflower actually tastes GOOD!” We both had seconds. I even opted to have leftovers instead of going out to eat. For burgers. That’s saying something!

I followed the suggestions in this recipe completely:  incorporating papaya and apricot preserves.  I would suggest you do the same – SO GOOD!

Cauliflower Lentil Curry

(Pinch of Yum via Pinterest)

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • ¼ cup curry paste (I used a red Thai curry paste)  (Find it on your international aisle)
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon curry powder
  • 3 cups vegetable broth + 3 cups water  (I used 4 cups broth and 2 cups water because I just used a box of stock this time; 1 box = 4 cups)
  • 2 cups dry yellow lentils or yellow split peas (Green lentils worked just fine!)
  • 1 or more heads cauliflower, chopped into bite sized pieces
  • apricot or mango jam + cilantro for serving (be brave!) (I found apricot jam; make sure to find one with no corn syrup or other crazy ingredients.  All you need is fruit and maybe a little sugar and pectin.)
  • salt to taste
  • 1 Papaya (See Pinch of Yum’s note below; I chopped up a small papaya, threw it into my mini food processor, and added it in just before serving. You won’t actually taste papaya, but there will be a layer of sweet along with the curry flavor.  Yum!)
Instructions
  1. Saute the onion, garlic, and ginger with the oil until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the curry paste, turmeric, and curry powder and stir fry for another 1 minute. Add the broth and water and whisk until incorporated. Bring to a boil.
  2. Add the lentils and simmer for 20-40 minutes. I left the pot uncovered (house smells amazing) and stopped by to stir every so often. Add more water or broth as necessary. Yellow split peas will take longer and, in my experience, they soak up more of the water so you might need to add more.
  3. When the lentils are done or almost done, add the cauliflower. There should be enough liquid left in the pan to boil/steam the cauliflower, so add some if you need it. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender-crisp. Stir to combine; season with salt and top with cilantro and jam.
Notes
I pureed one papaya into a smooth sauce and added it to the curry so it would be a bit more creamy, plus I love the sweet, fresh flavor it adds. If you want it more saucy, puree a sweet curry-complimenting fruit like papaya or mango and stir it in. Coconut milk would also be a perfect addition!
I served the curry over this Harvest Medley rice (found at Costco).  This rice is AMAZING!  My dad found this rice first and shared with us because it is that good.  It will spice up any ordinary rice dish.
Cauliflower Lentil Curry

Cauliflower Lentil Curry

Bon Appétit!
Share on Facebook