Cauliflower & Red Lentil Curry

Submitted by Bel_Fran

"Not at all sure where I picked up this recipe from. One of those recipes I crave on a cold night."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup red lentil
• 1 tablespoon cumin seed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon turmeric
• 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 4 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 chili pepper, halved
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon cumin seed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon sugar

directions

1. In a large saucepan over low heat, combine lentils, onions, curry powder, salt, turmeric and 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft and the sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes,cauliflower, and chili and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is tender, aprox 8 to 10 minutes. Then remove from heat.
3. Heat oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and cook for about 10 seconds. Add garlic and ginger. Continue to saute until the garlic is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in cayenne and immediately add the oil-spice mixture to the cauliflower mixture. Stir in lemon juice, cilantro and sugar. Taste and adjust seasonings with additional salt and cayenne.

Reviews

[t-dub]

I made this for tonight's dinner. I doubled the recipe and added some potatoes and yams. I haven't served it yet, but from tasting it directly from the pot, I know my family will like it. Especially my picky eater who doesn't like Indian style curry. I hope no one asks about the chicken cuz there is none. If one wanted to add chicken, it would be easy to fry it up when you're doing the onions and spices.

 

[Paris D]

This is delicious! We'll definitely make it again.

 

[Wyomingbob]

This is a very good recipe. I adapted it a bit for my wife, who doesn't like spicy foods, and she really liked it.

 

[RosenTodd]

Update to Review: I prefer this with regular green lentils, the red lentils turn too watery for me, the green ones thicken up better, more like split peas. I enjoyed this recipe very much! Wanting to make more of it, I doubled the amount of lentils (and therefore the water and spices) accordingly. Noting some previous comments about flavor, I cooked the cauliflower briefly in the spice-oil mixture before adding it to the pot, because I wanted the cauliflower to absorb as much flavor as possible. I tossed in some green pepper and chicken that I needed to finish up at step 3 as well. Tried this in a slow cooker and it worked great.

 

[Dr. Jenny]

I had hoped to really love this recipe, as I really like all of the ingredients that are in it. However, I found it to be a lot of work for a flavor that I only liked a little. I used canned tomatoes and added a significant amount of garlic salt at the end (as I felt it needed it); otherwise, I followed the directions as posted.