In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
Add 7 cups of water and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to cook, covered, until lentils and potato are just tender, about 15 minutes.
Add green beans and tomatoes with juice. Cook until warmed through, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Add cilantro; season with salt and pepper. Serve with yogurt.
This recipe was disappointing. I should have known because I've tried other lentil soups, and they are often kind of bland, but they are so healthy and everything, they always lure me back in. I added more garlic, curry powder and some broth to increase the flavor, but it's still missing some seasoning I think. It makes a ton too!
This is yummy in a hearty-earthy way. I ditched the curry (my least favorite spice/smell on earth) and the cilantro and replaced the yogurt with Knudsen Sour Cream which, when mixed with the tomato juices, sweet potato and lentils made for a nicely rich taste w/out being too heavy. Yum! I followed the recipe quantities and am on my fourth bowl for the week with about four more to go. My skinny jeans are feeling better already.
This stew is really good, but it needs just a little bit more curry (2-2.5 tsp works) and I added an extra clove of garlic. I also added a little bit of vegeta too boost the flavors a little bit, but I think if you subbed a good vegetable broth for a cup or two of the water it should have a similar impact.
Also, this recipe makes so much stew- more like 8-10 servings. I thought I was going to be eating this by myself for 3-4 days and it looks more like a week worth of leftovers for one person.
Oops - forgot to mention I made this without the green beans.
Great with the following changes: replace canola oil with 3T olive oil. Use 2 cloves garlic. Add 1t salt to sautéing veggies. Use 2t curry powder and add 1/2t dried thyme. Use Muir fire roasted petite diced tomatoes. If you like spicy, add 1 seeded/de-veined and diced poblano pepper along with onion/celery/carrot/bay leaf. Be forewarned, this recipe makes a lot of soup.
I used frozen onions and sauteed in olive oil with the garlic. Also used low sodium chicken broth and the curry called for but an additional dash of red curry too. Something makes this soup a little sweet and spicy - a delicate and delicious combination! The yogurt is a perfect topping.
I wasn't overly thrilled with how this receipe turned out...sounded much better than the finished product. I gave the remainder of the large pot away to my starving student's residence. They ate it up...but then againg they will eat anything! :-)
The stew is good but lacking flavor. I added a lot of salt and pepper, yet it still tasted bland. Maybe sub veggie stock for the water?
This recipe is very similar to a Tanzanian stew made with sweet potatoes that I discovered while traveling with the organization with which I work, Helen Keller International, to document our programs there. You can read more about how orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are helping families stay strong and healthy on our blog: http://www.hki.org/blog/2010/11/just-your-traditional-tanzanian-thanksgi...
This recipe is delicious and easy! As a bonus, nothing in it contains gluten, so when I had a couple of non-gluten-eating friends over for dinner, they were ecstatic. I paired it with mini sweet potato fritattas cooked in muffin tins.
This is a wonderful recipe! It makes quite a bit, I shared leftovers with my brother's family and they all enjoyed it too. The sweet potatoes and beans add great flavors.