Monsoons & Lentils

Today I woke up to grey, rainy skies. I'm a morning person, so I was up early making coffee, but I decided to watch movies in bed. One of the movies, Monsoon Wedding (a must see) inspired today's late afternoon lunch. I had a bunch of swiss chard that I needed to make but I needed some protein to go along with it. I spotted some red lentils, a can of coconut milk & red curry paste. Mmmm a spicy, warm dish to go along with braised chard (I posted this recipe several weeks ago) and basmati rice.

Red lentils with coconut cream
1 cup of red lentils, rinsed & washed
3 cups of water
2 garlic cloves, smashed with salt
2 tbsp red curry paste
Cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp ginger (I was out of fresh, I used powder)
Red chili flakes
A few dollops of coconut cream (top of the can of coconut milk)

Bring the lentils and water to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes. The lentils will appear mushy. Mix the garlic, curry paste, cilantro and ginger together. Add to the lentils along with the coconut cream.

Serve over basmati rice.