daal curry

When we were out in Oregon a couple years ago, we had the best Indian food.  I have been trying to replicate it since.  I come close but it is not quite right.  That is until tonight.  A friend of ours tried a naan recipe which I wanted to try.  It is from Julie over at Dinner with Julie.  This is the lentil curry I have been trying to replicate.  And it is simple!  I did tweak a little bit but that is normal!

I served it with some roasted potatoes and homemade naan and my belly could not be happier.  This is one of those dishes that just needs to be part of each week.

daal curry

1 1/2 cups orange or red lentils

3 cups homemade vegetable broth

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, diced

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 to 3 teaspoon ground curry or to taste

1/2 teaspoon new mexican chile powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garam marsala

1/2 cup coconut milk

Because I am lazy, in the morning, wash your lentils until they wash clean.  Put them in a pot or slow cooker insert, and cover with vegetable broth.  Three hours before you wish to eat, turn the slow cooker onto high.  If cooking in a pot, bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer, covered.  You will wish to cook them close to an hour or until they are very soft.

In a skillet over medium heat, put the olive oil and onion.  Cook the onion until golden brown.  Add the garlic and tomato.  Cook these down until there are bits of color.  Add the spices and salt.  Mix well.  Add the tomato mixture and the coconut milk to the lentils.  Stir well and heat through. 

Serve with rice or potatoes and naan.

This is really quick.  Once the lentils are cooked, it took about 15 minutes to put together.  Using a slow cooker makes cooking the lentils really easy.  The trick is to wash the lentils really well.

Happy belly time!