Yet another recipe from Mark Bittman’s book “Food Matters”. This one may very well be one of my new favorite soups- right up there by taco soup, only healthier. Next time I will try substituting sweet potatoes for the red potatoes I used to make it even more nutrient rich! I ate this with a slice of toasted Ezekial bread spread with Earth Balance. Enjoy my modified version of his recipe.
Curried Lentil and Potato Soup
Ingredients
2 tbsp peanut or grapeseed oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2-3 gloves minced garlic
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
salt and freshly ground pepper
1- 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 (plus a little) turmeric
a shake of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
several shakes of garam masala (I added this because I needed a little extra flavor and wasn’t sure which of the spices I had already used to use)
1 cup dried lentils
2 medium tomatoes (or 4 canned tomatoes)
1 quart vegetable stock (I may have used slightly less)
1 can coconut milk
6 or so small/medium red potatoes
2 small zucchini, roughly chopped
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
1. Put the oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and transluscent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minutes, Sprinkle with salt and stir in the spices. Cook, stirring frequently, until darkened and fragrant, about another minutes or two.
2. Stir in the tomatoes and lentils, then add the stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil; partially cover, and turn the heat down to medium low so that the soup bubbles gently.
3. Cook, stirring occaisionally, until the lentils are just becoming tender; stir in the potatoes and more stock or water if needed. Cover again and cook for about 10 minutes, then stir in the remaining vegetables, adding a little more stock if needed to keep everything brothy. Cover one more time and cook until the potatoes and vegetables are all tender, another 5-10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.
