Do you ever feel like you need to do nothing for a while before you can muster up the strength to do anything? Sometimes I need to take relaxing to a whole new level—let the dishes pile up in the kitchen, forget about that recipe concept, and just laze around on my bed with the windows open. A pile of books on one side and Cookie on the other.
That’s what I did this weekend; I chose to stay in rather than go out and read cookbooks instead of cook. My only notable accomplishments included ruffling through all 600 beautiful pages of Nigel Slater’s Tender
On Sunday, I was busy doing a whole lot of nothing and feeling totally unmotivated to cook this week’s Food Matters Project recipe. I blame the title: curried tomato soup with hard boiled eggs. I find hard-boiled eggs to be truly noxious and I wasn’t feeling soup. After reading through Mark Bittman’s write-up and recipe list, I wondered why he called it soup when it sounded more like a stew. Intrigued, I googled “makhani,” the Indian dish it’s based upon, and recognized it as one of the many vegetarian options I’ve enjoyed at Indian buffets (I generally despise buffets but Indian buffets are a major exception).
Through my research, I learned that makhani is often served with black lentils (dal makhani), so I decided to add lentils for substance and give the recipe name a makeover: Tomato and Lentil Curry. While it’s certainly an improvement, I’m not sure any name could represent this bold and spicy, hearty dish in its full glory. Please give this dish a try and get back to me with your naming suggestions.
Other than adding black lentils (also called urad dal or beluga lentils) and some extra coconut milk, I stuck to the recipe, which you can find in full at Eats Well With Others. I just added one cup of rinsed black lentils to the pot once the liquids came to a boil, and extra coconut milk at the end. I served the curry over a bed of brown jasmine rice with a big slice of lime to squeeze on top. It’s definitely my most successful attempt at Indian cooking so far and I dare say it’s almost as good as the authentic dal makhani served at my beloved Indian buffets.
Ingredients of note include an amazing kashmiri curry blend provided by Native Roots Market. Locals, if you haven’t, you really must check out their spice bar! They have custom spice blends for sale and will hand mix any blend your heart desires.
I also used Pomi brand tomatoes because Pomi is the only brand I’ve found that uses BPA-free packaging. Read more about the dangers of BPA in canned tomatoes here.
All in all, this dish is yet another FMP success, and I’m so glad I made it! I’m looking forward to eating leftovers all week long. Find Mark Bittman’s recipe at Eats Well With Others, and check out ingenious variations on it by Food Matters Project members over here!
29 Comments
That looks incredible! “pin” :)
Lentils are a great addition. My husband and I are eating leftover with pasta and rice already. He loved this challenge. Strike! :-)
Oooooh that is a pot of goodness. Love steamy curries and stews in early spring when the nights are still cold. Also, I get you on the whole needing lazy days to get back into productivity mode. I think any successful busy body requires them here and there :)
Agreed about Indian buffets…they are the only ones I will even consider and by consider, I mean stuffing my face. :) This looks beyond delicious.
Ooh, that looks incredible! We too are in the “need to figure out how to cook everything we love at the Indian buffet” boat, and dals are at the top of the list. Time to experiment! :)
Love what you did here! I need to adventure myself into the world of Indian cooking. Or Indian eating, for that matter! I’m kind of a virgin.
Sarah, I don’t usually recommend dining at buffets, but get yourself to a good Indian buffet ASAP! You can sample everything that way. I’m pretty sure you’ll love all of it!
Oh such yumminess! and thanks for the heads up on the canned tomatoes…never even thought or knew of that! Yuck ;(
This is simply lovely! Yum!
Sounds like you had a great weekend, I am not a huge fan of lentils but this makes them look rather delicious.
Have you tried black lentils before? I love them because they retain their shape rather than turning into mush, and they’re so easy to cook!
Love the lentil addition for substance! Sounds like a perfect lazy weekend… I should do that soon and finish my good book.
Black lentils are a great addition. I can not tell you the last time I had a weekend like that – it sounds divine!!!!!
After this, especially the commentary, my Indian mother would adopt you.
Unfortunately I am not up for adoption at the moment but I totally want to take Indian cooking lessons from your mom!
Love your post and your adorable pup!
Kate, if you like Indian food you must must must get your hands on the two cookbooks from Vij’s restaurant in Vancouver. Although nothing can quite rival the dining experience there, the cookbooks are exceptional and the recipes turn out so well they could easily rival any Indian restaurant experience.
Those kind of lazy weekends are my absolute favourite! And this looks like the perfect, simple accompaniment. Gorgeous gorgeous photos.
I agree, the title threw me off also until I actually sat down and read the recipe. We were thinking alike… I did just about the exact same google research that you did before I decided on my take :)
What a gorgeous looking curry! Pinned. :)
I really wouldn’t call this a soup so much as a striaght-up curry either! I’m so glad you found an adaptation that worked for you…the finished product looks so delicious! I’m definitely going to add lentils in lieu of eggs next time!
This is perfect cause I love lentils – and this way I probably wouldn’t need to serve it over rice. Also re: the canned tomatos thing, we’ve recently been just peeling and chopping our own and I can hardly notice the difference in cooking! Cans kinda freak me out..
I’m desperately in need of one of those whole lot of nothing days to rejuvenate! I think Cookie has the right idea all snuggled up in bed. ;-)
Yep, I totally relate. Sometimes I feel like I’m on strikes over chores. But like everytime, chores and life won so I get back on track pretty quick. But at least, it feels great to refuse to obey once in a while ;)
Your weekend sounds a lot like my weekend. I’ve had a few really stressful, tiring weeks, and the rainy weekend forecast was the perfect excuse to just stay home, thumb through some books and magazines, watch movies (and the Mad Men premier!) and cook without feeling overwhelmed by it. Sometimes I need to step back and remind myself that cooking is FUN, and taking pictures of food is fun, too. Those weekends that aren’t jam-packed with activities, are definitely good reminders of what really matters. I’m all about a good curry, especially when tomatoes are involved.
Sounds like a lovely weekend! I am so with you on hard-boiled eggs – not my thing! I love all of the changes you made to this recipe. It sounds hearty and wonderful.
Kate, this looks incredible! I am obsessed with Indian food (seriously, my birthday “party” of choice in second grade was dinner at my favorite Indian restaurant..) but I don’t cook it nearly enough myself. This looks totally do-able and so delicious!
I like this recipe very much. I’ve featured it on my News of the Day today. Thank you for sharing it.
Kate I made a batch like yours last week and froze half. The first serving was with spinach salad and brown rice – delish! Second batch last night with parathas and a huge garden salad sprinkled with toasted cumin seeds. Oh my all the changes you made on the recipe resulted in the best lentil curry EVER. Rich, velvety and substantial. A winner in our house again! Thank you <3
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