Curried Apple & Lentil Dal

                                    from Everybody Likes Sandwiches


So I love curry and apples. Love. There is something so sexy to me about the way the sweetness of the apples rubs itself all up in the spiciness of the curry powder. A couple of my favorite cold-weather soups are apple-curry based: Quick Curried Red Lentil Soup with Vegetables and SusanV's Curried Eggplant Soup. Plus, apple recipes have the sweet kiss of autumn to them, so they've been making their way to the top of my "To-Make" lists as of late.

VEGANMOFO!

Needless to say, when I saw this super-easy recipe on Everybody Likes Sandwiches, I figured I should whip it up for lunches for the week, seeing as it was simple and would therefore give me more time to be distracted by boys. *COUisaGH*

I didn't have garam masala curry paste, mostly because I don't know what the fuck that is or where to even get it. So I just used some powdered garam masala and a few hefty shakes of curry powder, and that did the trick. This is a spicy-assed little curry though, so be prepared to sniffle it up while you eat (you may wanna adjust the quantity of garam masala if you're on the wussy side when it comes to spicy). But you'll also be graced by the sweet commingling of two very compatible ingredients, curry getting you all hot and bothered and then apple cooling you the hell down afterwards.

(Oh, and for once I don't feel like my photo is all that bad, considering Everybody Likes Sandwich's pic looks sasquatch-ian as well. Hee hee.)



INGREDIENTS:

• 2 T. olive oil


• 1 small onion, diced


• 4 cloves garlic, diced


• 1 T. fresh ginger, minced (I used 1 t. powdered ginger)


• 1 green pepper, diced


• 2 small MacIntosh apples, diced


• 2 T. garam masala curry paste -or- 2.5 t. garam masala + 3 good shakes of curry powder


• 1-1/2 c. red lentils


• 2 c. vegetable broth

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil on medium-high heat in a large pot and saute garlic, onion and ginger until fragrant. Toss in green pepper and apples and the curry paste, and stir everything until well combined. Add in lentils and broth, cover, and turn down heat to a simmer and cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Add a little water, if necessary, to prevent the dal from becoming to dry. Serve on top of brown rice and top with some plain yogurt or mango chutney. (Or alternately, you can just eat it by itself.)

(Recipe from Everybody Likes Sandwiches)