Red Lentil Vadouvan Curry Stew

This one smelled so good it pulled in a yogi off the trail from a quarter mile away

Vadouvan isn’t your typical curry powder. It’s a French version of the usual masala curry powder that emphasizes shallots, garlic, onion, fenugreek and often curry leaves, lightly toasted. It can difficult to locate, but I had no trouble finding it on Amazon.

I’m not a Cajun. If I were my “holy trinity” would be green pepper, celery and onion. Instead, mine is onion, garlic and ginger. You’ll need fresh versions of all three to really make this dish pop.

The amount below nearly filled my 0.9L pot, but it being the 6th evening of my recent section hike, my hiker hunger was kicking in and I had no trouble polishing it all off myself. Otherwise, it’s probably adequate for two, although you might want to stretch it with some rice in that scenario.

INGREDIENTS:

1 packet of ghee

1/2 of a small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 TB minced ginger root

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp turmeric

2 TB vadouvan curry powder

1/2 cup dehydrated tomato dices

8 oz. red lentils (soak in water for at least 15 minutes before cooking)

4 packets of Packit Gourmet chicken broth (to be mixed with THREE cups of water later)

1 packet Chao Thai coconut milk powder

1 packet TruLime (this is essential)

1/4 cup raw whole cashews, crushed into small bits

pinch salt

pinch cayenne

Optional: mini ziploc of Litehouse dehydrated cilantro for garnishing.

Package everything in a series of small and mini ziplocs however you like. Here’s how it looked for me:

DIRECTIONS:

1. Saute onion in ghee until translucent, then add garlic and ginger and saute an additional minute.
2. Add spices except cayenne and salt and stir for one more minute.
3. Add tomatoes (which you splashed with water to rehydrate a few minutes before cooking).
4. Stir in lentils (drained), packets of chicken stock and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered for 15-20 minutes.
5. Uncover, then add Chao Thai powder and TruLime and simmer uncovered for 3 more minutes.
6. Add cayenne and salt.
7. Take off heat and top with cashew bits and cilantro.

By this time you are almost guaranteed to have curious yogis around you. Share a little. But not too much.