Thursday, March 3, 2011

Curried Lentils and Rice Casserole

I made this dish last night for dinner and it was the perfect wholesome-goodforyou-comfort-food. It has a creamy texture almost like potatoes and although Gaby thought it was a little sweet, I couldn't get enough of it. It makes a huge pan so I was happy there were plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week. Anything Ali makes over at is fantastic, I changed up a few little things according to what I had on hand but this has definitely made it to our regular cycle. It has a long cooking time so you have to plan ahead in that way but it's a synch to put together.

a few Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger, or 1/2 tsp of powdered
1 tsp dried turmeric
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sea salt
4 carrots, chopped or 1 yam peeled and cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups french lentils, or any lentil
1 cup brown rice
5 cups water
1 can coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute onion in olive oil until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add ginger, turmeric, spices, and salt. Continue to saute for another 2 minutes until fragrant.

Place onion-spice mixture into a large casserole dish. Add carrots, lentils, rice, water, and coconut milk. Mix together well. Cover and bake for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, turn oven temp up to 425 degrees F. Remove cover and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes to let excess liquid cook off. Stir and serve!

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