Tropical Coconut Curry

Take yourself straight to the tropics with this coconut curry that is filled with sweet plantains, red radishes, lentils, greens, and spring onions. The naturally sweet plantains combine beautifully with the creamy coconut milk to send your tastebuds on a little vacation of their own. And no worries, I won’t ask you to get out your machete.

Recipe makes about 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow plantain sliced into thick rounds then quartered
• 2 large red radishes chopped into small cubes
• 1 medium head of bok choy – sliced it will make about 4 cups
• 1 large spring onion, sliced into rings
• 1 cup lentils (soak them in water for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking)
• 2 cans of coconut milk (about 3 or 3 1/2 cups) give the cans a good shake before opening!
• your favorite curry seasoning – I used 2 Tbsp curry powder and about 2 tsp yellow curry paste
• fresh herbs to garnish– I recommend basil or parsley or try some toasted coconut on top!

Rice:

• 1 cup rice – I chose organic white
• celery tops (the skinny stalks and their greens) chopped up – optional but so good!
• salt

Curry:

After your lentils have soaked for at least 30 minutes (up to an hour would be better if you have the time), place them in a large pot and cover them with about a 1/2 inch of water. Turn the stovetop to medium heat and allow the lentils to simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Be sure enough water stays in the pot to cover the lentils. If it starts to get low, add more hot water.  

After the lentils have had a good simmer stir in the curry powder, then add the coconut milk. 

Bring back to a simmer. Add in the chopped radish. Simmer.

Now to add in curry paste, first, stir it with some water (about 1/4 cup water) in a separate small bowl to help it thin. It will blend better into the curry this way.

Test a lentil and see if it is starting to soften. When biting in, it should feel almost soft and not gritty. At this point, add in the plantains, bok choy, and spring onions. Allow to simmer for up to 10 minutes. Test another lentil and when it is soft and biteable, your tropical curry is ready!

Rice:

While those lentils are working hard to absorb all that moisture, set some white rice to cook to serve with the curry. Because this curry dish is so hearty, I do not put any oil or butter into the rice. Just water and rice. When my rice is juuuust about to finish, I like to sneak in some fresh chopped celery tops. This adds a great herby flavor to the rice and really complements the dish. As soon as the rice is done, stir in some salt. Adding the salt at the end of cooking, while the rice is still very hot, will help to exaggerate the saltiness and you will not need to use as much salt.

This is such a fun dish!

Have a party in your mouth with all these different flavors. Serve up the curry alone as a soup, or add in the celery top rice for a perfect side dish. The plant-based protein combination of rice and lentils along with the creaminess of the coconut milk creates a satiating and comforting meal that will put you right in the tropics of your own home!

Why the complements?

In a plant-based diet, complementing legumes with whole grains is a must. Here’s why… Ready to put your thinking pants on? I’m never ready to wear pants (especially while in the tropics), so I’ll keep it simple…

Our body needs amino acids to exist, and the body is able to create only some of these amino acids on its own. There are nine essential amino acids that the body cannot create itself and therefore must receive these amino acids from outside sources, aka food.

Animal products contain all 9 of these essential amino acids which are why animal proteins are referred to as, “complete proteins.” Most plants we consume do not contain high amounts of all 9 essential amino acids, considering plants to provide, “incomplete proteins.” This is why pairing up different plants, makes the perfect complement. In this recipe, the amino acids that the lentils are lacking are found in our whole-grain rice, and the essential amino acids that are missing in our rice, are found in our lentils! This is why finding the perfect complements in all meals allows one to thrive from a plant-based diet! Thrive on!