My love of Indian food and my love of soup have finally found each other.
My daughter came home from school yesterday and immediately moaned in delight because our house smelled so wonderful. And who could blame her? I was doing the same thing myself.
I came across this gem of a recipe in Cooking Light and almost skipped over it because it just didn’t look very exciting. But the flavor (and the amazing aroma) was outstanding. The original recipe calls for only 6 oz. of lamb but the package I bought was a pound so I just decided to double the recipe and have leftovers. An excellent decision! Other than the lamb everything else on the list was stuff I normally have in my cupboard or fridge, so I’m sure this will land in my pile of go-to recipes I use when there is “nothing” to cook. I’m already looking forward to making it again.
Indian-Spiced Lamb & Lentil Stew
Indian Spiced Lamb & Lentil Stew
(adapted from Cooking Light)
1 pound ground lamb
2 tsp. red curry powder (I used Madras curry powder since I had it)
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 cups dry brown lentils
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 can coconut milk
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
Plain Greek yogurt for garnish
Cilantro for garnish
Drizzle a bit of olive oil in your soup pot and add lamb, stirring to break up. Add curry powder, cumin, salt & cayenne pepper. Cook for a few minutes. Add onions, carrots and jalapeno. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes until lamb is browned. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add tomato paste, stir well and cook another minute. Add lentils and stir well, then add broth, water, coconut milk and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 40 minutes, until lentils are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed (I added a bit more salt). Serve topped with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro. Serves 6-8.
3hungrymonkeys 
Ooh… I am so making this. ❤
I’m eating the leftovers for lunch right now. I think it’s even better this time. If you make it, let me know what you think.
I’m making it tonight, except with yellow curry powder (it’s what I have) and chicken instead of lamb, because lamb is ‘spensive!
The ground lamb isn’t too bad, and adds a lot of flavor. But let me know how it turns out with chicken. I’ll bet it will be good!
I made it with chicken and yellow curry powder, and left out the onions. Super delicious! I also added an extra 1/2 tsp of curry powder, 1/2 a tsp of chili powder, about 1.5 tsp of onion powder, and I ended up adding a little extra (1/2 tsp) salt at the end, too. It’s really yummy, but I definitely want to try it with lamb now. When I was at the store I couldn’t remember if it was supposed to be ground lamb or not, and I’ve actually never cooked with lamb before so I chickened out! Literally.
Sounds like a great variation. I love recipes that are so versatile. I loved the lamb in it. I don’t use ground lamb very often, but it was terrific. I’ll bet you could also substitute red curry paste for the red curry powder. Might have to try that next time.
I agree, the best recipes are the ones that can be made so many different ways and still taste amazing! That’s 3 soup recipes from you now that have gone into my regular rotation. 🙂
That’s awesome!