In case you still have a jar of yellow curry paste…
Yellow curry lentils + lemony roasted cauliflower and cilantro
If you’re like me, you might still have that jar of yellow curry paste I asked you to buy two weeks ago hanging out in your fridge, standing there hoping each time you open the door that it will get a second chance at life.
“Pick me, pick me!” it says as you slide in a jar of something new.
I’m good at buying new ingredients. I’m not always the best at using them up. What can I say? I like novelty.
But in an effort to waste less (and save some dollars), I’m making a more conscious effort to use up ingredients more quickly, even when they last for a long time.
This brings me back to the yellow curry paste. While I thought I’d use the paste as a rub for chicken or stirred in with some ground lamb (both of which you could do), I combined it with legumes again, this time in a red lentil soup.
Toasted with some cilantro, the paste has a chance to fully permeate the lentils, which go from dried to soupy within 20 minutes.
Red lentils are the starchy interior of yellow lentils. When I first cooked them many years ago, I was upset that they broke down into mush. Later, I realized that this texture (and quick-cooking quality) was part of their appeal.
If you have some good-quality broth on hand, you could add it instead of water to enrich the flavor, but it’s not necessary. (Just be sure to salt the water well.)
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