Yummy! Lentil Curry Stew

This really didn't start out to be a purposeful recipe. I just started throwing together things that I picked up at the Eastern Market yesterday, and it turned out to be extremely delicious. So, I'm writing it down here.

Ingredients:

• 1/2-cup olive oil.
• 1 eggplant, finely diced.
• 4 leeks, sliced.
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced.
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced.
• 1 dozen roma tomatoes, cubed or diced.
• Several minced or pressed garlic cloves.
• 1/2-cup curry powder.
• 1 12-oz. can of light or regular coconut milk.
• 2 cups water.
• 1 one-pound bag of dried lentils.

If you prep the eggplant, leeks, bell pepper, tomatoes, and garlic in that order, the timing is right to just add them as they are ready.

Directions:

• Heat a big pot. (I used our big cast-iron dutch oven.)
• Add the olive oil.
• Sautee the diced eggplant in the olive oil until the eggplant has absorbed the oil.
• Add the leeks.
• Add the bell pepper.
• Add the tomatoes after the leeks are at least a bit sauteed.
• Add the garlic.
• Add the curry powder.
• Simmer at a low heat for an hour, until the tomatoes are stewed and the leeks are soft.
• Add the coconut milk, the water, and the lentils.
• Stew another 30-40 minutes until the lentils are soft and cooked.

We served it with some brown rice, though it would be fine on its own or even with noodles.

Yummy!

Options:

• The curry gives it a nice kick, but you could certainly add a hot pepper or two if you're looking for something spicier.
• You might try adding a second can of coconut milk in the place of some of the water.
• We used light coconut milk, which has 75% less fat than regular coconut milk. Going regular coconut milk and/or bumping up to two cans might add a bit more body, but the stew had a really nice body already from the stewed eggplant.
• You could probably use a big can of diced or stewed tomatoes instead of the fresh roma tomatoes.
• I thought about adding a few peaches, which might give it a nice fruity flavor. Mangos might work for that, too.
• Heck, do whatever you want. I just made it up as I went along.