I really liked this curry. I think TF and the Kidlet preferred the chicken tikka masala that I made to go with it, but I actually preferred the lentils!

The original recpe called for French (Puy) lentils, but I didn't have quite enough left, so I ended up using a mix of French and brown lentils. I tend to prefer French lentils in general, but the mix was fine here. And brown lentils tend to be more common in Indian cooking anyway, so I didn't feel that it was a huge deal to fudge things with the lentils a bit.

Cooking the lentils with some herbs and veggies added great flavour, but picking out all the bits afterward was annoying. I think next time I'd put everything but the lentils in a little cheesecloth bag so that it could be easily pulled out and composted afterward. Either that, or just leave all the veggies in. They'll end up a bit mushy, of course, but it might be worth trying. I figure, if you chop everything up small, they'll just end up homogenizing into the sauce. Something to think about for next time...

Lentil, Potato, and Spinach Curry

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 c. French (Puy) lentils
• 4 c. water
• 1 large carrot, cut into three pieces
• 1 rib celery, cut into three pieces
• 1 onion, half chopped, half left whole
• 5 sprigs parsley
• 1-2 Tbsp. canola oil or ghee
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. bin bhuna hua garam masala
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 large red potatoes, cut into 1cm cubes
• 2 c. chopped frozen spinach
• 1/4 c. plain yogurt or raita, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Rinse and drain the lentils.
2. Place lentils in a pot with the water, carrot, celery, onion half, and parsley and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender (~30 minutes).
4. Remove and discard the herbs and veggies.
5. Reserve the lentils and their cooking water separately. If there is less than 2 c. of liquid left, add water to bring the total volume to 2 c.
6. In the now empty pot, heat the oil (or ghee) over medium heat.
7. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
8. Add the garam masala, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper and cook for another minute or two.
9. Add the potatoes, lentils, and reserved cooking water and bring to a boil.
10. Cook until potatoes are fork tender (~15 minutes).
11. Stir in spinach and cook until heated through (2-3 minutes).
12. Serve topped with yogurt/raita, if desired.