I've been making one version or another of this for decades. Not because it's a meatless meal but because I love it and it's simple, hearty and delicious.
It's also highly adaptable.
No carrots?
Skip the carrots.
No canned tomatoes?
Skip the tomatoes.
No lentils?
Just kidding...but you get where I'm going with this.
I like it best with a full complement of ingredients but pretty much any combination of the mains will make a delicious soup.
As you would expect, fresh ginger, garlic and coriander will give you the best result but you can substitute with dried, in a pinch.
One thing I highly advise you use is a really good curry powder. It will make this soup.
I use a half-and-half combination of sweet yellow curry and deep, dark Madras curry. Both are available online or in-store at the Silk Road Spice Merchant in Edmonton or you can visit a Southeast Asian market and find a curry powder with a profile that suits your palate.
Serve with warm naan bread or fresh flatbread.
Ingredients
2 Tbsps Coconut oil (or any vegetable oil, I just like the extra flavour the coconut oil provides)
1.5 to 2 cups dried red lentils (rinsed)
1 litre vegetable broth (or chicken broth if you aren't picky about the meatless thing)
1 large can stewed tomatoes
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 medium white onion chopped
2 or 3 Tbsps fresh, minced ginger
3 or 4 cloves fresh, minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
2 medium carrots, chopped into rounds
1 tsp sweet yellow curry
1 tsp Madras curry
A dollop of fresh or sour cream (for the non-vegans)
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Heat a large stock pot.
Add coconut oil, onion, garlic and ginger.
Sauté until translucent.
Add carrot rounds and curry powder and sauté for a few more minutes until curry is incorporated and fragrant.
Add canned tomatoes, stock and lentils.
Simmer for 20-30 minutes until carrots are tender and lentils are soft but not mushy.
Add coconut milk and simmer for five more minutes.
Add fresh coriander and cream (if desired) and serve.
This soup freezes and reheats really well. I almost always have some of this on hand for veggie visitors. :-)
