Favorite Curried Red Lentil & Chickpea Stew with Cauliflower & Sweet Potato

This stew, heavy with red lentils, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and coconut milk, may seem like a bit of an "everything but the kitchen sink" type of recipe, and you wouldn't be wrong if you guessed that. One cold evening last winter, I pranced around the kitchen adding this and that to the Instant Pot, letting the ingredients lead the way. It's almost by accident that this stew is what it is, but ever since it's become a favorite at our table. 

I am a big fan of Indian Daal, but sometimes wish it had a bit more to it. Extra veggies, or something to chew on. That desire is what lead me to this soup in the first place, I think, which is why I know you'll love it: it's the same spicy, savory flavor of Indian Daal, but with a new age twist incorporating cauliflower, sweet potato, and chickpeas. 

Cauliflower & sweet potatoes go with coconut curry like they were made for it. Their starchiness and subtle sweetness are the perfect backdrop for ginger, garlic, and brown mustard seeds. A splash of lime brightens everything. And chickpeas--far and away my favorite legume- make this soup feel more substantial than a regular lentil soup. 

Soak your lentils throughout the day (or even overnight) to make them easier to digest. This has the added benefit of making them cook faster too. After just a few minutes in an electric pressure cooker, the lentils are creamy and soft. 

P.S., Snow is falling slowly out our window right now. It's barely snowed here this year, despite it already being January, so it feels like a treat. We're going to need a cozy stew to warm us up this evening! This stew is just the thing to bring spoonfuls of cozy to your guests. 💛

For a legume-free recipe inspired by these same flavors, try my Butternut Squash Coconut Curry (it's Paleo-friendly and vegetarian/vegan). 

Favorite Curried Red Lentil & Chickpea Stew with Cauliflower & Sweet Potato

Published January 30, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 8   |    Total Time: 15 active minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 cup dry red lentils
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil 
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3-4 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 green chile pepper, minced (serrano or jalapeño— serrano is the more mild option)
• 2 cups diced sweet potatoes 
• 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, strained 
• 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon ground curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1-1/2 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt & ground black pepper, or to taste
• 3-4 cups vegetable broth 
• Garnish: lime wedges & minced cilantro 

Directions:

1. In the morning, place lentils in a soup pot and cover with water. Place a lid on the pot, and allow lentils to soak for 8-12 hours. Once ready to cook soup, pour lentils through a strainer, discarding the water. Set lentils aside for later use.
2. Turn Instant Pot to “Sauté” setting and heat coconut oil until it glistens. Add minced ginger, garlic, and diced onion to pot, and sauté until fragrant.
3. Add cauliflower, green chile, diced sweet potatoes, lentils, chickpeas, coconut milk, canned tomatoes, curry powder, cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric, salt & pepper to the pot and stir. Pour in enough broth to cover all the ingredients easily (there should be a about 1 inch of liquid over the top of the lentils), and then secure lid on Instant Pot. Turn to “Bean/Chili” setting, and set timer for 5 minutes with the vent in the sealed position.
4. When timer goes off, release pressure and stir stew. Ladle into serving bowls and sprinkle with minced cilantro and a lime wedge.

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Coconut Curry

I am newly obsessed with this curry. I see piles of squash as I walk through the grocery store; I begin wondering how many bowls of curry I could make, and how many cans of coconut milk I should buy. 

What's better is that my grocery list is short: I add cauliflower, carrots, and check my cupboard to ensure I have all of my typical spices on hand. Onions, garlic, and ginger are already sitting in the vegetable basket, as if they knew this was coming. 

When it comes time to put everything together, I pull out the Instant Pot-- this stew is no waiting game, you just throw it in the Instant Pot and hit go. I chop everything up, pour in the coconut milk and spices, and lock the lid. I take a shower, and next thing you know this curry is piping hot and ready to go. Does it get any better?

Butternut Squash Coconut Curry

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Naturally sweet and nutty butternut squash meets bold and spicy curry to create this new-comfort dish.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 20 active minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 inch ginger
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 white onion
• 1 serrano chile
• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 butternut squash
• 2-3 large carrots
• 3 sprigs cilantro OR Thai basil, plus more for serving
• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
• 2-3 cups vegetable broth
• 1- 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• A few cracks each of salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Dice the onion, ginger, garlic, and serrano chile. Then, roughly chop the carrots, and cut the cauliflower into small bite-sized florets. Peel and seed the squash, and chop that into bite-sized pieces as well. Add all of the vegetables to the pot.
2. Add cilantro, coconut milk, vegetable broth, and spices to the pot. Secure pressure cooker lid, and set Instant Pot to Stew setting with the timer at 4 minutes.
3. Once Instant Pot is done, release the pressure. Remove lid, and store curry. Serve in bowls and top with cilantro sprigs.

Homemade Loose Leaf Masala Chai Tea

Update! This recipe is one of my faves. I shot new photos in December of 2018, and updated the recipe a little bit. Watch the video below!

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My first introduction to this spicy drink was in middle school, when my mom brought home a carton of Oregon Chai concentrate. Little did I know that single discovery would take me on quite the Chai-adventure!

I quickly learned to love plenty of other types of chai — and began to prefer spicier flavors over sweeter ones (if you’ve tried Oregon Chai, you know it’s pretty dang syrupy!). Bhakti Chai was a small start up in my home town at the time, and I fell in love with the pungent ginger in each sip. A mug of Bhakti Chai became a very special treat when I went to college — something I’d buy myself when I went to the school library during finals week.

I visited India with my dad when I was about 15. There, chai was served out of little carts on every street corner. It was called “Masala Chai,” because the word “chai” in Hindi simply means “tea.” Each cart served up their own recipe, a proprietary blend of spices and served with raw sugar. I scribbled down one recipe from a woman in Udiapur, and have been using that as my baseline ever since. But that’s the thing with Masala Chai: everyone’s version is slightly different. Some people want it sweet and cinnamon-y. Others want the ginger to be bright and bold and in your face. Me? I’m a cardamom lover, though I don’t object to the ginger, either. I also prefer honey over sugar. Lately I’ve been digging this Lazy Bee Ranch Whipped Honey, made locally in Colorado.

Once you’ve made Masala Chai three or four times, you’ll start to realize which camp you sit in, and you can adapt your own recipe to match exactly that.

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Making chai at home is far superior in terms of flavor than buying tea bags. It’s also far cheaper than buying pre-made concentrates. If I’m going to make a big batch of chai at home, I’ll use fresh ginger root and simmer it with spices in a soup pot. It usually doesn’t last more than a day — we drink it non-stop until it’s gone.

This recipe, however, calls for ginger tea (not crystallized ginger, but dried ginger) instead of fresh ginger. Why? Well, sometimes a girl wants her chai and she doesn’t want to bowl a whole soup pot just to get a mug of it! 🙃Using dried ginger means you can keep this tea in your cupboard with the rest of your teas, and brew a mug at a time on demand whenever you please. It’s the best for when I need a pick me up on a work day.

I also almost always make a hot mug of chai in my thermos when we go climbing or hiking in the spring, fall, or winter. It keeps me warm when it starts to get chilly, and I enjoy the caffeine lift in the afternoon.

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Homemade Loose Leaf Masala Chai Tea

Published June 10, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 15   |    Active Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients:

12 cardamom pods

4-5 whole cloves

8 black peppercorns

3 whole allspice berries

Pinch whole anise seeds

1 cinnamon stick (about 2-3 inches long)

3 tablespoons black Assam tea (English breakfast works too, if it’s all you can find!)

2 tablespoons dried ginger tea

For serving: water for brewing tea, and honey and milk to taste

Directions:

1. Place cardamom pods, cloves, peppercorns, allspice berries, anise seeds and cinnamon stick in a small skillet. Toast over low heat, stirring, until spices are fragrant.
2. Scrape spices into a mortar and pestle, and roughly grind the spices.
3. Combine Assam tea, ginger, and ground spices in a bowl or jar. Stir to combine.
4. Tea can be stored at room temperature in an air tight jar for quick some time — it may start to loose some of it’s flavor after a few months.
5. To brew: Heat 8 ounces of hot water. Place tea in a fine mesh tea stainer in a mug, and pour water into mug. Allow to steep for 5 minutes, then remove tea and strainer from mug. Sweeten with honey and milk to taste.
6. You may find that the bottom of your mug had spices in it — that’s where all the flavor comes from! I avoid drinking that very last sip, just like I might avoid taking the very last sip of sludgy French press coffee. Personal preference!