I love making curries when I'm feeling a bit down or if I feel a cold coming on. Something about the warm, spicy, and sweet flavors is so comforting to me. I either go for a simple chicken curry but I normally stick with lentils. Lentils are crazy inexpensive and if you soak them the night before, cooking them is a low-maintenance breeze.

I went the convenient route with this particular recipe and used a S&B Golden Curry sauce cube along with a local spice shop blend of curry powder. I was introduced to the sauce cubes years ago by my friend Natasha, and honestly, they're all you need to get a good curry working in a pinch. The sauce is more along the lines of a Japanese curry but I prefer the blend of sweet and spicy. And being in school full-time with a part-time job definitely keeps you focused on cooking with a budget, so I was more than happy to make this dish and excited at how it turned out! Let's get working.

Curried Lentils

Cook time: 35-40 minutes
Serves: 6-8

Vegetable oil
2 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 tbsp ground coriander
2 packets of Goya Sazón with Tomato and Cilantro (or 2 tbsp homemade sazón)
4 tbsp Savory Spice Zanzibar Curry Powder
1 package S&B Golden Curry, Medium Hot
1 bag of green lentils, soaked*
Water
Steamed rice

*Note: follow package directions to soak the green lentils prior to cooking. I normally soak them overnight for less work.

In a large stockpot, add enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Over medium heat, sauté the sliced onions. Liberally season with kosher salt and black pepper. Stir well and then add the bay leaves, ground coriander, sazón, and curry powder. Toast the spices for about 4-5 minutes and then add the soaked lentils. Stir well.

After about 4-5 minutes, add enough water to cover the lentils (you want about 2 inches of water covering them) and the package of the golden curry sauce mix. The sauce mix is going to be a solid cube (similar to a bouillon cube), but once exposed to heat, they will melt down into a thick sauce. Cook the lentils for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then bring to a simmer until the lentils are tender, about another 10 minutes. Adjust any seasonings and serve over steamed rice. I paired my bowl of lentils and rice with my tostones for an easy vegan meal.

¡Buen provecho!