the poverty luxe kitchen vol. 9: curry lentil stew.

so when i started this whole poverty luxe kitchen feature, my intention was to show off new recipes, but as things went on (can you believe were already on post number 9? i cant), i realized that there were quite a few recipes waaaaaaayyyyy back in my archives from back when i was a little tiny baby blogger (and poor food photographer) that deserve to see the light of day (and a flattering portrait). 

first up im bringing back my recipe for curry lentil stew. maybe this seems like an odd choice for memorial day weekend since its basically summer now and all that, but honestly, this recipe is pretty relevant for us where we are right now, seeing as 1. were getting to the time of the year where james is working a lot more (and out of town a lot) so quick, healthy dinners are the main focus of our meal plan, and 2. were about to have a baby so im starting to get really concerned about getting the freezer stocked up so were prepared in case of bedrest or a slow recovery. 

this recipe has pretty much been on our regular dinner rotation since james and i first got married since easy, cheap, and makes a TON of food. i started with a recipe i found in this book (which, by the way, is fabulous and one of only three cook books i own), that i modified over time to include more veggies (cause why not), and changed the proportions a bit to better accommodate cooking in bulk (this recipe freezes/reheats beautifully so its one of the few things that i habitually make in bulk). 

so are you ready to make some lentils? lets go!

curry lentil stew. 

(serves 8+ on its own, even more if you serve it over rice)

heres what you need: 

1 pound of dried lentils (i typically get these in the bulk bins at sprouts or at the dollar store)

7-8 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoons curry powder (note: this can be expensive, but i totally wrote a post about how to save money on spices)

4 medium russet potatoes (or two of those insanely huge baking potatoes)

3-4 carrots

3-4 ribs of celery

salt and black pepper to taste

heres what you do: 

in a large pot, combine the lentils, stock and curry powder and bring to a boil. 

once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot and cook the lentils (which should be bubbling gently, NOT a rolling boil) for about 15 minutes. 

while the lentils cook, peel and chop your potatoes, carrots, and celery, into bite-sized pieces and add them to the lentils at the end of the 15 minutes. 

stir the veggies in and continue to cook everything with the pot completely covered and undisturbed for about ten more minutes. 

check your lentils to make sure theres still enough liquid (add more if necessary), and (if needed) add salt and black pepper to taste.

 

cover and continue to cook for about 5-10 more minutes until the veggies are cooked through. 

serve as is, or over steamed rice.