Orange Lentil and Coconut Stew

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStovePot
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 3
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.

To assemble

1. 4
   Add the cumin, turmeric, ginger, garam masala and salt and stir.
2. 5
   Add the lentils, tomatoes, stock and coconut milk and bring to a boil.

   Stove
3. 6
   Turn down the heat, cover and simmer 25–30 minutes.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
4. 7
   Sprinkle the cilantro on top.
5. 8
   Serve the stew with white rice.