This stew is based on a package we bought from a farmers market years ago (as Jamaican Me Hungry Lentil Stew). It’s a great stew on its own, or over roasted veg.
Ingredients
- olive oil, for sautéing
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 pepper (poblano or Anaheim), diced
- 1 small sweet potato, diced
- 1 small carrot, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup lentils (mixed red, green, and black)
- 2–3 tbsp spices (Caribbean, French, Mexican, Greek, Indian, etc.)
- sugar, to taste
- salt, to taste (start with 1 tsp)
Add-ins
- 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
- 1 cup rice
- cilantro, to garnish
Method
In a large pot or pressure cooker, sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent. Add the pepper, sweet potato, carrot, and celery and keep cooking. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1–2 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it starts to stick to the pan a bit, 1–2 minutes.
Deglaze with the wine, scraping up any browned bits. Add the stock, lentils, spices, a little sugar, and the salt, and bring to a boil.
If pressure cooking, lock the lid and cook on the low (2) setting for 15–20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally (10–15 minutes), then remove the lid. Without a pressure cooker, simmer until the lentils are soft, 40–50 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and rice, then top up with water until it’s one knuckle above the rice. Simmer until the rice is tender.
Taste and add more spices and sugar. The original base mix is pretty bland; I roughly double the spices.
Notes
- Browning the peppers under the broiler first adds a bunch of flavour.