Autumn Lentil Curry in Japanese cups in Harlem
Comforting red lentils dotted with carrots, potatoes, coconut, and mustard seed…the picture of Autumn in my Harlem window
It was wonderful to hear that Aarti Sequeria won the Next Food Network Star a couple of years ago. I was only able to watch a couple of episodes, but it was clear she has a lovely spirit, and has a way of making Indian food seem cute and exotic at the same time — not an easy thing to do! One thing I like is she finds ways to use common ingredients to substitute for Indian flavors (for instance, using lime juice or vinegar as a substitute for tamarind). I adapted (ever so slightly) her “Indian Summer Stew: Butternut Squash, Coconut, and Lentil” for autumn. It’s a modern 20-minute version of a South Indian lentil curry. It was terrific!
The most winning thing of all: I LOVE recipes where you put all the ingredients into a pot and turn it on. Gotta love those one-pot-wonders. Same reason I love slow cooker recipes that call for the same. This lentil curry recipe is exactly that. And the balance of flavors is just right. You will want to eat it right out of the saucepan with a wooden spoon! Aarti says this recipe serves 8, which sounds right if you’re serving it as a small starter or appetizer, but since we were in a classic weeknight rush, Sean and I had it for dinner, so it yielded 4 servings for us.
Why in Japanese cups? When we lived in Boston, our friend Micaela went to Japan and brought us back these adorable cups. The colors of the curry made me think of those cups. The lentils looked so nice in them in the bright September sunshine, with dancing shades of orange, green, and white in my Harlem window.
Autumn Lentil Curry: Carrots, Potatoes, Coconut and Lentils (adapted)
Serves 4 for dinner; 8 as an appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils (masoor daal)
- 2 1/2 cups diced carrots and potatoes
- 1 Roma tomato, diced
- 1/2 cup dry shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cups water, or enough to cover
Tempering (a common technique in Indian cooking: heating whole spices and herbs in oil)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
Preparation
- In a large soup pot, combine the carrots, potatoes, red lentils, tomato, coconut, turmeric, cumin, and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and then simmer, covered, 10-20 minutes, until it reaches a thick, stew-like consistency. Remove the cover and simmer another 1-2 minutes.
- For tempering: In a small skillet, warm the canola oil on low-to-medium heat until shimmering. Add the mustard seeds and cover tightly with a lid or cover. You will hear the mustard seeds begin to pop, it will sound like popcorn. As soon as you don’t hear anything, turn off the heat and add the red pepper flakes, garlic, and salt. Swirl the skillet so the contents cook evenly, and cook another 10 seconds. Then pour the contents of the skillet into the soup, along with the salt. Spoon a ladleful of soup back into the skillet (it will sizzle, be careful!), and pour back into the soup pot. Finish with the honey, lime juice, and cilantro. Adjust the seasonings, to taste, and enjoy a little Indian summer in the middle of your winter!
Made this for the first time this weekend. Delicious! Will definitely be in my rotation going forward! 🙂
Just made this! It was my first time tempering… Great step by step instructions. Oh, and absolutely delicious!!
Hello Meg! Congratulations on making this and for trying “tempering” for the first time! Doesn’t the tempering give a normal soup or stew a totally different flavor? Ironic you should post a comment because I was just about to make this! You can use the tempering technique with any vegetable too, for a tasty side dish.