Kaki!  I’ve been whipping up a storm of curry these days.

We made Peter Berley’s Rhubarb and Lentil Curry the other night at Cooper’s.  It was really good, though I had trouble guessing the amount of water to add, so it ended up a little soupy.  But I easily corrected the leftovers by draining the liquid from the solids and reducing the liquid alone.  Fixing leftovers for the win!

However, I will say the star of that particular meal was the flatbread we made.  They were just rewarmed flour tortillas, but we brushed them with olive oil, sprinkled them with freshly minced garlic, and after they came out of the oven, sprinkled them with some more of the papalo herb I was telling you about.  They were heavenly, crispy edges and chewy centers, savory and herbaceous…  They will be made again, soon!

Then, I made up a huge batch of curry sauce ala this recipe.*  And I do mean huge, as in, almost a gallon.  BUT!  Kaki, it is amazing.  I’ve had two different batches of the below curry for multiple meals in the past two weeks, and am in no way tired of it.  I’ll have another portion of leftovers tomorrow for lunch.  It is so incredibly good!

Do note, on its own the sauce tastes pretty sweet, especially since I didn’t add salt to the base sauce.  But a little salt and a little further cooking/reducing and it was perfect.**

What I’m saying is, next weekend, take two hours and make up a gallon of curry sauce.  Then freeze it in three cup portions.  Because having this on hand means you’re one skillet full of veggies away from a weeks worth of craveable lunches.  Do it.

Cauliflower, Pinto Bean, and Lentil Curry
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown lentils
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into 1-1.5″ pieces
• 1 can pinto beans, not drained (chickpeas would also work well)
• 3 cups curry sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• fresh cilantro, minced

In a small saucepan with a lid, combine the lentils and water.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, or until tender.  Remove from heat, remove cover, and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Once hot, add olive oil and let warm for 1 minute.  Add onion and a pinch of salt and stir to coat in the warm oil.  Let onions sweat for about 5 minutes, or until they are becoming translucent.

Add garlic, stir, and cook another 2 minutes.  The onions should be taking on some color in spots, though take care the garlic doesn’t burn.

Add the cauliflower pieces and a pinch of salt, stir, and cook another 3 minutes.  The onions should continue to take on some color, and the cauliflower should get a little brown on the edges of some pieces.

Add the pinto beans and their liquid, the curry sauce, and the salt, stirring to combine.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes.  Then uncover, stir, and simmer another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The curry sauce will thicken during this time, but it will also thicken a bit as it cools, so no need to reduce it too much.  Taste and correct salt level as needed.

To serve, divide the lentils evenly among six dishes.  Divide the curry evenly among the six dishes.  Sprinkle each dish with some fresh minced cilantro.  Devour.

*Well, I almost followed the recipe; I can’t help myself!  I’d forgotten the cabbage at the store, so just left it out.  And I used oil instead of the ghee, so, um, this is once again incidentally vegan.  Win!

**The website with the link contains suggestions for other recipes to make from this base sauce; check it out!  Next time I think I’ll add some cayenne and maybe some coconut milk, to increase the heat and the creaminess.  Oh man, drooooling.