Vegan Curry with Lentils, Coconut, and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons garam masala
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1 medium sweet potato, cubed
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk, shaken
• 3 cups cooked basmati rice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Step 1

Bring the vegetable broth to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan. While that’s warming up, heat some coconut oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook it until it’s soft and translucent, which usually takes about 5 minutes. Then, stir in the tikka masala seasoning and let it cook for about a minute to really bring out the flavors. Toss in the garlic and cook just until you can smell that lovely aroma—about a minute—being careful not to let it burn.

Step 2

Add the tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, and a pinch of salt. Give everything a good stir and let it cook together for around 5 minutes. Now it’s time to add the lentils, sweet potatoes, cayenne pepper, and the hot vegetable broth you had simmering. Bring everything up to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and let it simmer. Make sure to give it a stir every now and then so nothing sticks to the bottom. After about 40 minutes, the lentils and sweet potatoes should be nice and tender.

Step 3

Finally, pour in the coconut milk and stir everything together. Let it come back to a gentle simmer, then take it off the heat. Serve it over rice and sprinkle some fresh cilantro on top for a pop of color and flavor.