Lentil & Spinach Curry

by Marie | Jun 3, 2013 | Cooking, Curry | 16 comments

Do you invent curries on your bike ride home? Apparently I do. I thought this one up whilst absentmindedly peddling down one of Calgary’s many bike paths, next to a wee swath of prairie. I suppose something about the fresh air and the semi-suicidal gophers darting on and off the paved pathway made me think of curry. It may have also been the doughnut I had at work saying “you should really have something healthy for dinner.” So I did.

Loaded with lentils, creamy from coconut milk, and with nutritional boosts from spinach and tomatoes, this flavourful curry is delicious over quinoa or any whole grain of your choice. The leftovers only improve with age (well, to a point, obviously), so feel free to whip up a big pot like I did, and then enjoy this for the rest of the week. Yum.

Lentil & Spinach Curry

Ghee or canola oil, as needed
1 onion, sliced
1 big garlic clove, minced
1″ ginger root, peeled and minced
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp smoked hot Hungarian paprika

1½ cups French lentils, rinsed
1 can coconut milk
1 (798mL) can chopped tomatoes
1 bunch spinach, rinsed, de-stemmed, and torn up a bit

Heat a tablespoon or two of ghee in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until quite dark and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add more ghee, and then the garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant.

Add the mustard seeds and cook until the begin to pop (you may need more ghee here as well). Stir in the garam masala, cumin seeds, and parika, and then add the can of tomatoes, the coconut milk, and lentils. Simmer until the lentils are tender (~20 minutes).

To finish, stir in the spinach and let it wilt. Serve over rice or quinoa and enjoy!

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16 Comments

Sarah on June 3, 2013 at 4:13 pm

Nice use of your fancy new lentils! Can’t wait to try it out 🙂 So, do you love them yet??
Reply
- Marie on June 9, 2013 at 9:22 pm
  
  Hey! I’ve always loved lentils 😛 I just need to make more trips to places that sell interesting ones…
  Reply
  - Sarah on June 10, 2013 at 5:05 am
    
    But of course you do! I meant the fancy schmancy ones. Though really, I find all lentils TASTE the same and really only vary in texture/”mouthfeel”.
    Reply
    - Marie on June 18, 2013 at 7:58 pm
      
      Ah, yes, of course. Schmancy lentils and I are getting on swimmingly 😉
Patricia Miller on June 3, 2013 at 4:51 pm

Oh, yes, for dinner tonight!
Reply
- Marie on June 9, 2013 at 9:22 pm
  
  Omnomnom 😀 Did you end up making it?
  Reply
Dawn on June 3, 2013 at 4:53 pm

do you mean 1″ of GINGER root, instead of garlic again? I think so. Sounds yummy!
Reply
- Marie on June 9, 2013 at 9:22 pm
  
  Yes! Ha. Whoops. I fixed it, thanks for catching that Dawn!
  Reply
Dawn on June 3, 2013 at 10:33 pm

I just bought quinoa for the first time, but really have no idea what to do with it. Many recipes say “serve with quinoa” but I’d love a post JUST on some options for preparing the quinoa itself….?
Reply
- Sarah on June 4, 2013 at 2:52 pm
  
  For whatever reason, the suggested 2:1 water to quinoa ratio NEVER works for me. I always end up with quinoa soup and have to drain away half of my broth and seasonings. Now I just use a 1:1 ratio (sometimes a splash more liquid) and simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes once it has boiled. It might be that I pre-soak my quinoa for 10-15 minutes to get rid of the bitter saponin, so enough water is being absorbed to throw off the 2:1 ratio? Anyway, I tend to like a slightly firmer quinoa rather than mush, so it really depends on your texture preference. Hope that helps! Quinoa is fantastic 🙂
  Reply
  - Marie on June 9, 2013 at 9:48 pm
    
    That’s probably because it should be 1.5:1 water to quinoa 😛 I, too, was doing 2:1, and then I checked the package a month or so again and had a “well, duh!” moment. Silly grains, all being different.
    Reply
    - Sarah on June 10, 2013 at 5:03 am
      
      Your package is a rarity then… I’ve only ever seen 2:1 (including at Bulk Barn) and wondered what the heck my problem was, haha. 1:1 is just a tad too dry, so 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 definitely makes more sense, depending on whether you want softer or firmer quinoa 🙂
    - Marie on June 18, 2013 at 7:57 pm
      
      Perhaps the folks at BB simply enjoy soupy quinoa? 😛
- Marie on June 9, 2013 at 9:42 pm
  
  Your basic quinoa preparation is pretty similar to preparing rice, except you use 1:1.5 quinoa to water instead of the 1:2 for rice. The best part is it only takes 20 minutes to steam, just like white rice, so you have no excuse to avoid whole grains 😛
  
  Also, stay tuned for the delicious quinoa summer salad recipe I’ve got coming up later this month 😉
  Reply
Sarah on June 4, 2013 at 2:56 pm

How much coconut milk does this use? I don’t see it listed 😛
Reply
- Marie on June 9, 2013 at 9:49 pm
  
  Ha! Whoops. 1 can. Silly me. Thanks for catching that, I fixed it!
  Reply

Lentil & Spinach Curry