Red Curry Lentils With Sweet Potatoes and Spinach

Name: Red Curry Lentils With Sweet Potatoes and Spinach
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 pound sweet potatoes (about 2 medium sweet potatoes), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes; 1 medium yellow onion, chopped; 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste; 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon); 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 tablespoon); 1 red chile, such as Fresno or serrano, halved, seeds and ribs removed, then minced; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 cup red lentils, rinsed; 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste; 1 (13-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk; 1 (4- to 5-ounce) bag baby spinach; 1/2 lime, juiced; Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving; Toasted unsweetened coconut flakes, for serving (optional)

By Lidey Heuck

Published Jan. 7, 2020

Red Curry Lentils With Sweet Potatoes and Spinach — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 5(16,425)
Comments: Read comments

In this vegetarian main inspired by Indian dal, lentils are cooked with an aromatic blend of Thai spices — fresh ginger, turmeric, red curry paste and chile — then simmered in coconut milk until fall-apart tender. Browning the sweet potatoes before cooking them with the lentils brings out their sweetness, balancing the heat from the chile and curry paste, while baby spinach tossed in just before serving adds fresh flavor. Serve over steamed white or brown rice, or with toasted flatbread on the side.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

3tablespoons olive oil
1pound sweet potatoes (about 2 medium sweet potatoes), peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
1medium yellow onion, chopped
3tablespoons Thai red curry paste
3garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1(1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 tablespoon)
1red chile, such as Fresno or serrano, halved, seeds and ribs removed, then minced
1teaspoon ground turmeric
1cup red lentils, rinsed
4cups low-sodium vegetable stock
2teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1(13-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
1(4- to 5-ounce) bag baby spinach
½lime, juiced
Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
Toasted unsweetened coconut flakes, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a Dutch oven or pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the browned sweet potatoes to a plate and set aside.
Step 2
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot and set the heat to medium-low. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the curry paste, garlic, ginger, chile and turmeric, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 3
Add the lentils, stock, salt and browned sweet potatoes to the pot and bring to a boil over high. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Step 4
Add the coconut milk and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and the lentils are creamy and falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 5
Add the spinach and stir until just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lime juice and season with salt to taste.
Step 6
Divide among shallow bowls and top with cilantro and coconut flakes, if using.

Ratings

5 out of 5

16,425 user ratings

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Comments

Mariabelle5 years ago

To those of you who are fat phobic. Why buy lite coconut milk? You are simply paying for the extra water that was added to make it "lite". Buy whole coconut milk, dilute it with water to your taste and freeze the remaining milk for another use. It does freeze beautifully.

dona5 years ago

@patricia Curry powder- Indian Curry paste- Thai Totally different flavors

Heather5 years ago

Really great meatless meal option! Added 4 oz. baby Bella mushrooms and substituted 1 Tbsp sriracha sauce for the chili. Also, upped the lime juice to a whole lime because there’s never a happy ending for half a lime in my kitchen.

Barbara Barry3 days ago

Does anyone know if this can be frozen in smaller portions?

Maya1 month ago

I did only 1 tbsp of Mae Ploy red curry paste, my usual M.O. with that one, my very spicy paste of choice, when a recipe calls for 3 tbsp. But I also thought “hmm, did they mean Thai curry paste for this, or curry powder, as many other commenters assumed?” I ended up ALSO eyeball-measure adding maybe a tsp or more of ras al hanout seasoning. The flavors are honestly all so so lovely together. I also browned & cooked the sweet potato to completion at the early stage of the recipe because I was multitasking — wanted to use some of it in a side salad (and needed it all the way cooked). And let me just say, the more browned bits to scrape up from the bottom of the pot once liquid has been added, THE BETTER. Obviously the way I cooked the potato makes the whole recipe take longer, but it’s sooo nice.

Alexa1 month ago

This recipe was delicious, but like others, I found it to be a bit soupier than I was expecting for a curry. I will probably reduce the stock by ~1/2 to 1 cup next time. I also added only maybe 1/2 tsp. of salt (not the suggested 2 tsp) because that seemed like overkill to me with the stock, and I found this to be the right balance. I found this dish to be pretty spicy with 1 fresno added, so others with a low spice tolerance like me may want to omit it :)

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