The Best Curry I've Made

I've been sick. I haven't posted in a while. I'm sorry. I've been living mainly on oatmeal and a basic potato-leek soup that I had the foresight to whip up before it got bad. Poor David has been scrounging tacos and nachos and thai food. Yesterday, however, I started feeling better and up to cooking.

I went through a serious curry phase a few months ago. It was delicious and I learned a lot, but there was one thing I could never get exactly right--curried lentils. I tried at least three recipes, before giving up. In every case, something was wrong. Too spicy, too bland, to mushy. I tried Mark Bittman. Eh. I tried Madhur Jaffrey. Eh. So I called it quits, until last week, when, bedridden, I became mildly obsessed with the idea of a red lentil and sweet potato dish. So I made one. It's fantastic, if I do say so myself.

Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry

serves 3-4

1 cup red lentils

1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon (or more) fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1-2 serrano chiles, seeds removed, finely chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 can light coconut milk

1/2 cup to 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground with mortar and pestle

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground

1 and 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

cooked rice, plain yogurt, and cilantro, for serving.

1. Boil sweet potato until tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan and cook onion, stirring, until soft and just browned around the edges. Add chile, spices, garlic and ginger, and cook for another minute or so. Add lentils, coconut milk, and 1/2 cup of stock (save the rest to thin the curry at the end, if desired). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

3. When the lentils are tender but not mushy, add the sweet potatoes and more stock if desired. Heat through, stir, and serve with chopped cilantro, yogurt, and rice.

Notes: The whole spices are important here. If you have to use pre-ground spices, use the best and freshest that you can find. Also, the yogurt topping is pretty great; don't leave it out. I use 2% greek style yogurt. Like most curries, this one reheats well.