Vegan Pumpkin Lentil Coconut Curry
Hi friends, so it's me again. With yet another pumpkin recipe, lol.
The night before Halloween, I decided to cook a pumpkin curry. With lentils. And with coconut milk. So I did. Well, it was completely spontaneous since I happened to have the ingredients on hand!
Vegan Pumpkin Lentil Coconut Curry Rice
The night before Halloween, I decided to cook a pumpkin curry. With lentils. And with coconut milk. So I did. Well, it was completely spontaneous since I happened to have the ingredients on hand!
Vegan Pumpkin Lentil Coconut Curry Rice
Initially, I wanted to serve my curry with some rainbow quinoa but then, I realised that Japanese white sticky rice would go better. Then that was how I thought of making a vegan Coco Ichibanya-inspired curry rice. Since I had some baby carrots on hand, I just threw that in too. And well, I also had baby spinach so why not.
As for the pickled relish at the side, that is my best substitute for the red pickles we eat (more like finish the whole jar and ask for seconds and even thirds) at Coco Ichibanya. Sweet and sour. Those are amazing, let me tell you. Pickled relish are pretty great as well, but with less crunch.
Yup, that's the story behind this dish. Uninspirational, I know. But that's the truth. #thecoldhardtruth
But I'm glad it turned out well. The curry wasn't too thin nor thick and as expected, went really well with the sticky chewy Japanese white rice. The pickled relish cut the heaviness of the curry perfectly and the slight bitterness of the baby spinach surprisingly complimented the creaminess of the curry.
Update: So, I had some leftovers from that night, and decided to have it in sandwich on another occasion!
Vegan Pumpkin Lentil Coconut Curry Sandwich
But I'm glad it turned out well. The curry wasn't too thin nor thick and as expected, went really well with the sticky chewy Japanese white rice. The pickled relish cut the heaviness of the curry perfectly and the slight bitterness of the baby spinach surprisingly complimented the creaminess of the curry.
Update: So, I had some leftovers from that night, and decided to have it in sandwich on another occasion!
Vegan Pumpkin Lentil Coconut Curry Sandwich
Gardenia ciabatta (yes, vegan!) topped with romaine lettuce, sliced cucumber and the wonderful vegan pumpkin lentil coconut curry (which turned into a beautiful stew overnight in the fridge), topped with black pepper, Italian herbs and paprika!
Served it with a side of Way Better Snacks Sweet Potato Chips as well, for good measure, topped with salsa and yellow mustard!
De-lish!
Now, let me cut my annoying banter and provide you with the most important (more like the one and only) thing you would like to know - the recipe. Enjoy!
VEGAN PUMPKIN LENTIL COCONUT CURRY
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red/yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cups of chopped pumpkin
- 2 cups vegetable of choice (I used baby carrots but you can use broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, it's all up to you!)
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp paprika (use more or less depending on how spicy you want your curry to be)
- 1 14.5 oz can diced/chopped tomatoes
- 5 cups of water/vegetable stock (I used 5 cups of water with 4 tsp of vegetable stock concentrate)
- 1 cup lentils
- 100 ml coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on high heat. When hot, add in the onions and fry for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
2) Add in all the vegetables, together with the minced garlic, curry powder and paprika.
3) Stir to coat the vegetables evenly in the seasonings before adding in the tomatoes and liquid of choice.
4) Lower the heat to medium fire, cover with lid and simmer for about 10 minutes or until pumpkin is just about tender.
5) Stir in lentils and cook for about 15 more minutes or until lentils are cooked.
6) If curry is of desired thickness, turn of the heat. If not thick enough, simmer uncovered for about 5-10 more minutes until of desired consistency.
7) After removing from heat, stir in coconut milk and serve immediately, on top a bed of white rice, quinoa, pasta or even alongside some crusty toasted bread.
8) Enjoy!
Now, let me cut my annoying banter and provide you with the most important (more like the one and only) thing you would like to know - the recipe. Enjoy!
VEGAN PUMPKIN LENTIL COCONUT CURRY
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red/yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cups of chopped pumpkin
- 2 cups vegetable of choice (I used baby carrots but you can use broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, it's all up to you!)
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp paprika (use more or less depending on how spicy you want your curry to be)
- 1 14.5 oz can diced/chopped tomatoes
- 5 cups of water/vegetable stock (I used 5 cups of water with 4 tsp of vegetable stock concentrate)
- 1 cup lentils
- 100 ml coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on high heat. When hot, add in the onions and fry for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
2) Add in all the vegetables, together with the minced garlic, curry powder and paprika.
3) Stir to coat the vegetables evenly in the seasonings before adding in the tomatoes and liquid of choice.
4) Lower the heat to medium fire, cover with lid and simmer for about 10 minutes or until pumpkin is just about tender.
5) Stir in lentils and cook for about 15 more minutes or until lentils are cooked.
6) If curry is of desired thickness, turn of the heat. If not thick enough, simmer uncovered for about 5-10 more minutes until of desired consistency.
7) After removing from heat, stir in coconut milk and serve immediately, on top a bed of white rice, quinoa, pasta or even alongside some crusty toasted bread.
8) Enjoy!