Mung Bean Lentil Curry

…the energy boost you need to stay focused on your life goals…

You’ve been there before: body aches, headaches, financial frustration, torturous family obligations, and an endless workweek that leaves you feeling limp and lifeless for days, weeks, months, and sometimes years. It’s enough strain to question the point of it all. But rather than sink under these crushing life responsibilities, pushing just a little bit of that racket away for some personal time can give you the energy boost you need to stay focused on your life goals.

Inspired by these past few stressful months, I decided to relinquish a little control over my kitchen and opt for simpler recipes so that I didn’t have to run around like a psycho trying to stick to wholesome eating. Some important life events are happening for me, and I want to tackle them as a brand new, healthier person.

Creating this Mung Bean Lentil Curry is one of my attempts to make life a little easier and even cheaper. For ethical, health, and financial reasons, I’ve been playing around with more plant based foods, and I’m excited to have found some awesome uses for the canister of lentils collecting dust in my pantry.

On top of that, I have a massive bag of curry powder my dad bought for me while he was in Barbados.

I used… less than “fresh” produce that had been sitting on my counter and refrigerator. The garlic was fermenting a little and had a few blue spots; so was the ginger. The carrots were from a bag I bought 2 or 3 weeks ago. The potatoes were a bit wrinkled and soft with questionable black spots. The mung beans were frozen leftovers I had cooked 3 months ago. But, I had neither the desire nor the money to get new produce.

So, after I performed the classic “sniff and taste” test, I found everything to smell… quite fine! I cut off the rotted bits of the produce, and continued on chopping. I’ve never been one to completely follow sell-by dates anyway (because they’re not actually expiration dates), but this experiment became an eye opening experience for what was about to unfold.

I had neither the desire nor the money to get new produce…

After gently sautéing the garlic, onions, and ginger, all of the other ingredients except for the butter were added and cooked until lush, lumpy gravy formed. I added the vegan butter at the end, which really pulled the rest of the dish together with a little extra fat.

As the curry cooked, my home became wild with delicious aromas, and perfumed all of the rooms even hours after the dish was finished cooking. I could have used all spanking new vegetables, and the dish probably would have turned out the same.

…my home became wild with delicious aromas…

A couple of lessons were learned: For one, I could whip up a fabulous curry using the items I already have in my kitchen; also, I saved myself $15 that I would have spent purchasing brand new produce.

hip up a fabulous curry using the items I already have in my kitchen; also, I saved myself $15 that I would have spent purchasing brand new produce.

I felt fulfilled having not wasted perfectly good food, saved a few bucks, and ate a satiating meal that was easy and therapeutic to cook and gave me energy for the day. It tastes better as the days go on; just heat the leftovers in a skillet with a pinch of salt and a few tablespoons of water to get the creamy consistency back.

Enjoy!

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Mung Bean Lentil Curry

Course Main Course

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings 10 People

Author Christie C.

Ingredients

• 1/2 Red Onion chopped
• 8 Garlic Cloves chopped
• 2 inches Ginger chopped
• 3 Russet Potatoes cubed
• 2 Carrots chopped
• 3 Cups (675ml) Water
• 1 Cup (225g) Dry Red Lentils or a 50/50 mixture of red and green lentils
• 5 TBSP (75g) Curry Powder use for favorite brand
• 1 Cup (225g) Cooked Mung Beans or any variety of cooked beans
• Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder to Taste
• Vegetable or Olive Oil for tossing

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss the cubed potatoes and chopped carrots with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Make sure the vegetables are thoroughly coated. Spread them on a sheet pan lined with parchment or foil and roast the vegetables in the oven for 25 minutes. When finished, set aside in a warm place.
3. In a large skillet, heat 3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Simmer the chopped onions, garlic, and ginger in the oil until translucent and only lightly brown.

4. Add the water, lentils, and curry powder to the skillet. Cover the pot, and simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.

5. Stir the mung beans into the skillet and season the curry generously with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.

6. Stir in the vegan butter. You can also omit the butter or use any variety of butter.

7. Stir in the roasted vegetables and cook for another minute.
8. When finished, serve with Basmati rice cooked with star anise and bay leaf.

Recipe Notes

• Has a 5 to 7 day shelf life in the refrigerator.
• When having leftovers, add a few tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt to get it creamy again.

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