Curried lentils with coconut milk

These curried lentils with coconut milk are a legume dish as exotic as it is delicious, ideal to eat as it is or to serve with basmati rice or soft 'naan' bread.

It is a stew with the aromatic, slightly spicy flavor of curry, softened with creamy coconut milk that also gives it a delicate, exquisite texture.

Curry, besides adding an irresistible touch to recipes, is a very interesting seasoning. Its name comes from the Tamil word 'kari', which translates as 'sauce' and is used to distinguish dishes prepared with sauce from dry dishes, although this term is also used for the spice blend native to the Indian Subcontinent, which usually includes coriander, cumin and turmeric, and may include black pepper, ginger, fenugreek, cinnamon, fennel, cloves, cardamom, chili, mustard or nutmeg, among other ingredients, depending on the country or region (for example, in southern India they include fresh curry leaves, which, despite appearances, have nothing to do with curry itself beyond appearing in some blends).

Since in the 18th century the English began to sell spice blends under the name of "curry powder" through the British East India Company, the belief spread that curry is a single spice, but as we have seen, there are many combinations and ways to use them, since traditionally whole and ground spices are also mixed and added both together and separately at different moments throughout the preparation and cooking of the dishes.

As for the nutrients this dish provides, the combination of all its ingredients makes it a delicacy rich in protein, antioxidants, carbohydrates, flavonoids, allicin, alliin, fiber, vitamins A, C, E and the B group (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B9, or folic acid), sulfur, calcium, chromium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc.