I’m not a summer soup person, and you generally won’t find soup on the menu around our house until the first frost. The weather isn’t even remotely cold here yet and I’m still wearing shorts, but for some reason I had a craving for this stew from The Occasional Vegetarian, by Karen Lee.
I love stews with lots of flavor, and this is definitely in that category. Lentils are a great way to get protein since they have the second highest protein content of any legume, and they are also rich in iron, fiber, and other important nutrients. Always rinse your lentils and pick out any stones or bad pieces before cooking them. I pour the dry lentils into a bowl and cover with water, allowing it to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, then drain and rinse again.
You can make the spicy oil, or you can skip that step and add curry paste to the soup while cooking. Either way, you end up with a delicious, healthy, hearty meal. I serve this with dollops of plain yogurt on top. There’s something about having a lentil stew with curry flavors … it just begs for some yogurt.
Add more water if you prefer a soupy consistency. Since our bell peppers are staying green and not turning yellow or red, I used green peppers from our garden.
[Updated December 30, 2011.]
- 1-1/2 cups (192 g) lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed
- 2 carrots, cut into small bites
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 celery stalks, cut into small bites
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) gluten-free low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups (~1.5 liters) vegetable stock
- plain fat free yogurt (optional)
- SPICED OIL
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, preferably roasted
- In the pot, add the lentils, bell pepper, potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, soy sauce, pepper, and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm the oil in a small saucepan over low heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the ginger, turmeric, and cumin. Stir and set aside.
- When the stew is cooked, stir in the spiced oil. Season with salt and additional pepper, if needed. Remove the bay leaf. Serve hot with a dollop of yogurt on top.
6 to 8 quart pot
small sauce pan
Variations
You can substitute curry paste for the spiced oil. I use Mae Ploy yellow curry paste. Add the paste to the pot with the other ingredients. Start with a teaspoon and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add more as you like.
More Lentil Recipes
I’m definitely going to try this, with sweet potatoes subbing for potatoes. Sounds great!
Oh goody, goody. It’s stew season! I can’t wait to cook up all manner of hot, sloppy dishes to go with potatoes and polenta and couscous. We had our first stew of the season last night: a lamb and apricot. Oh happiness! Three cheers for Stew.
I love lentil, so I will be trying this out! Delicious dish!
Kalyn, sweet potatoes sounds really good. I’ll have to give that a try!
Robyn, agreed! We do lots of soups and stews during the cold months.
Ahn, I love lentils too. Actually had mujaddarah for breakfast this morning!
Andrea…this soup checks off so many boxes on my favorites list…lentils, curry, stews…all wonderful, wholesome feeling fall favorites. This looks perfect…and that dollop of yogurt just finishes the stew off like icing does on a cake. 🙂
I love the photo: it makes you taste the delicious dish.
I love lentils – I’ve had my eye on this recipe for a while and will be making this for dinner tonight. Thanks!
i wonder what the purpose is of adding the oil last. it seems as if it would separate?