Name: Lentil Potato Vindaloo Curry
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 31 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients: 1.5 tbsp red chili powder (Kashmiri or sweet paprika); 1 tbsp ground coriander; 0.5 tsp ground cumin; 0.5 tsp black pepper ground; 0.5 tsp ground cardamom; 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.25 tsp cloves ground; 0.5 tsp mustard ground; 1 tsp oil; 1 cup yellow potatoes (peeled and cubed, or other potatoes cut 3/4” cubes); 0.125 tsp salt; 2 tsp oil (divided); 1 cup red onion (chopped); 0.5 tsp salt (divided); 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (or use 5 cloves garlic, minced, and 1” ginger, minced); 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tbsp white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar); 1 cup water (or stock, or more, if needed); 15 oz lentils (15 oz can (drained), or 1.5 cups cooked lentils or cooked/canned beans of choice); null null non-dairy yogurt (or vegan cream); null null cilantro; null null lemon juice

Instructions

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1

Add all of the spices for the vindaloo spice mix to a small bowl, and mix really well. Set aside.
2

Heat oil (1 tsp) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the yellow potatoes (1 cup), and toss well to coat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add vindaloo spice mix (1 tsp) and salt (0.125 tsp) into the potatoes, tossing well to coat. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and cook until the potatoes are almost cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir them once in between to crisp up some of the other edges of the potatoes, as well. Remove the potatoes from the pan.
3

To the same pan, add oil (1 tsp), then heat it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the red onion (1 cup) and salt (0.25 tsp). Mix and cook until the onion is golden, about 7 to 9 minutes, adding splashes of [water] in between to help the onion brown evenly and stirring every minute, as well.
4

Once the onion is golden, reduce the heat to medium-low, mix in the other oil (1 tsp), then add in all of the remaining [vindaloo spice mix], and mix well. If the pan is getting a little too dry, mix in splashes of [water], which will also reduce the heat of the pan a little bit, so that the spices don't burn. Then, cook for a few seconds, and stir in the ginger-garlic paste (2 tbsp), tomato paste (1 tbsp), and white vinegar (1 tbsp). If your pan is too hot, then add in a splash of [water]. If you're using minced ginger and garlic, just add the minced ginger and garlic first, cook for 1 minute, then add in the tomato paste and vinegar and mix in.
5

Mix in water (0.25 cup), stir really well, increase the heat back to medium, and bring to a boil, cooking until the whole mixture thickens a little bit and starts to leave the sides of the pan and you can see a sheen of oil on top. That will take anywhere from 3 to 4 minutes.
6

Add in the remaining water (0.75 cup) and mix well. Depending on how saucy you want the lentils vindaloo to be, you can add in more [water] at this point. Bring to a boil, fold in the lentils (15 oz), [yellow potatoes], and the remaining salt (0.25 tsp). If you like the sauce to be creamier, add in non-dairy yogurt (2 tbsp) or vegan cream (2 tbsp) as well. Then mix and cover with the lid and cook for 3 to 5 minutes for the flavors to meld, then switch off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and flavor, and garnish with [non-dairy yogurt], [cilantro], and [lemon juice]. Serve with [rice], flatbread, or [naan].