Thai Basil Coconut Lentils

I'm a big girl now. I made something completely new, not-pasta related, or tilapia related for this weeks SND! And I'm all bersited because I tried a dinner recipe from the newly discovered cooking blog, Pinch of Yum. So far I had only tried the Marble Bread, which turned out great, so I was definitely ready to try one of her dinner recipes. I was perusing the "Main Dishes" section of the blog and discovered this one. I was especially excited to try it not just because it sounds good, but also because we had most of the things on hand, or at least had a legitimate substitute sitting around. Plus, the words "Thai," "Basil," "Coconut," and "Lentils" are all just tempting to me these days.

I think the best part of making this meal was that we had just come back from St. Augustine, Will was off at soccer and I had run to the grocery store to get everything for the week myself. In my sleepy state of mind, when I didn't see the kabocha squash the recipe called for at EarthFare, I just got a large normal zucchini. Or so I had thought. When I pulled out my zucchini to start chopping it for dinner (once the rice and lentils were already cooking, of course), I discovered, much to my horror, that I had instead purchased a cucumber! Knowing Will's game was wrapping up soon enough, I sent him a couple frantic texts and phone calls asking him to pick up a squash on the way home, otherwise dinner was ruined. And poor Will was so confused because he thought I would be making a quinoa and kale pilaf for dinner, so he didn't even know what the squash was for!

I digress. Despite my oopsies, I managed to pull off this meal and the recipe ended up making a ton because I made rice to go along with it. So now we have leftovers for a couple more nights this week, which we imagine will be even more flavorful and spicy than the initial meal!

Cooking Notes: I didn't realize until I went to cook the lentils that I actually hadn't been the person to cook lentils in our house before. So I had to Google how to make basic green lentils and so I will include that recipe. As far as the Thai Basil Coconut Lentils go, I added ground ginger as one of the spices, in addition to the cayenne, chili powder, and salt. And since we couldn't find a kabocha squash, Will picked up an acorn squash since it's another type of winter squash. Even though we could've and would've sprung for the tom kha paste, we had some Thai Green Curry Paste sitting in our fridge that needed to be used. The ingredients between the two were pretty similar, so that's why we went ahead and used our curry paste. And lastly, we might try sweet potatoes next time, like she suggests in video. Oh and I forgot to get the peanuts to. I'm never grocery shopping alone again.

Thai Basil Coconut Lentils (adapted from Pinch of Yum; serves 4)
1 cup dried lentils or monggo beans
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded
1/2 large kabocha squash, cubed (or one whole small acorn squash)
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 tbsp tom kha paste (or Thai Green Curry Paste)
Sprinkling of cayenne pepper, chili powder, salt, and ground ginger
Fresh basil leaves and chopped peanuts for topping

Cook the lentils in a pot of boiling water for about 45 minutes or until soft.* Get rice going about 20 minutes into the lentils cooking, so they end up being done around the same time.

While the lentils and rice cook, saute the garlic in olive oil over medium high heat. Add the cabbage, season with salt, and stir fry until the cabbage begins to soften. Remove from heat and set aside in a large bowl, covering with a tea towel to keep warm.

Add a little more oil to the pan and add the sqaush. Season with chili powder, cayenne, salt and ginger. Add the coconut milk and simmer the squash for 8-10 minutes or until soft but not mushy. Add the tom kha paste and stir until mixed in with the coconut milk. Add the cooked cabbage and lentils to the squash and gently stir to combine. Serve over rice and top with fresh basil and chopped peanuts!

Recipe:  Pinch of Yum: Thai Basil Coconut Lentils

*Lentils

1 cup lentils

1 1/2 cups water

Add 1 1/2 cups water to saucepan and add flavorings, such as herbs, garlic and onions (not salt). Bring water to a boil and add lentils. Boil for 2 or 3 minutes and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until tender. Cook green and brown lentils for approximately 45 minutes and red lentils for 25 minutes. Be sure to taste test lentils for desired tenderness about 10 to 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Do not overcook them or they will become mushy! 

Lentils Recipe: Recipe Tips: Lentils