“Just keep shipping.” Or in my case, just keep posting. Whether this quote came from Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, or Seth Godin, it is has been on my mind. And this recipe is definitely worthy of a post.
Despite my normal need to explain every single detail of why this recipe works- and it does- I have chosen instead to illustrate some of the incredibly simple steps that it takes to make this- or, what happens when sweet potatoes and lentils, stewed with vegetable broth and tomatoes, are added to sauteed cabbage with onion and garlic, then topped with coconut milk. That’s right, coconut milk; the distant cousin in flavor profile of this delicacy we all probably grew up on (a tropical delight I believe comes from the exotic “take-the-water-out-of-cows-milk-and-somehow-make-it-last-for-decades” tree).
Also, word to the wise- cabbage takes a while to cook. Do not, as I did, overload your skillet with cabbage and expect it to behave like spinach and wilt up instantly.
Maybe one of these days I will actually learn to be patient while I cook. Maybe. Please teach me how to do this.
Also, check out my new favorite cooking blog, A Pinch of Yum. Lindsay is a cooking and photography inspiration. Jealousy+Admiration+her writing makes me laugh= my feelings towards this blog.
This recipe is taken from A Pinch of Yum and can be found here.
Creamy Thai Sweet Potatoes and Lentils
You will need:
- 1 cup lentils, rinsed
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, unpeeled and diced.
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon butter (I found I didn’t need the butter; it depends on your taste buds.)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 head green cabbage, thinly shredded
- 2 jalapenos, ribs and seeds removed, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger (I also didn’t use the ginger because I am not a huge ginger fan. If you like ginger, I would suggest you put it in. If you don’t, then don’t. Thank-you-very-much.)
- 14.5 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 2/3 cup regular coconut milk
- salt to taste (I would suggest adding salt and pepper as you cook; I find mine lacked a bit of salt once I served it.)
You will:
- Pour lentils, broth, and sweet potatoes into a large pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 30-45 minutes, or until lentils and sweet potatoes are just barely done cooking. Add the turmeric, tomatoes and ginger (or not) to the pot and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet. Add garlic, onions, and jalapenos. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for 10 minutes, or until cabbage is cooked through. (This is where you should be patient. This is where I was not.)
- Add cabbage to lentil pot and stir in coconut milk. Top with cilantro.
This looks like:
In case you are wondering, this dish is super healthy and doesn’t have much fat or calories. Which means I will now down my Whoppers milk shake. What to do with leftover Easter candy? Make that. You totally earned it.