Best Jamaican Lentil Stew With Coconut Recipes

LENTIL STEW WITH COCONUT AND MADRAS CURRY

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, madras curry, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften, about 1 minute. Add the parsnips, sweet potatoes and red lentils and cook until warm, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the vegetable stock and coconut milk. Simmer until the vegetables are tender and the lentils are cooked, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute more. Ladle the stew into bowls and garnish with the Fresno chile, fresh mint and a lime wedge. Serve with grilled naan if desired.

SPICED CHICKPEA STEW WITH COCONUT AND TURMERIC

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they've started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.
• Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides. (This will help thicken the stew.) Add coconut milk and stock, and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to be as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes, you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you've reached your desired consistency. Determining perfect stew thickness is a personal journey!
• Add greens and stir, making sure they're submerged in the liquid. Cook until they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you're using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper.
• Divide among bowls and top with mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you'd like.