Practically Vegan Review: Red Lentil Go-To Curry

Cookbook Review: Practically Vegan: More Than 100 Easy, Delicious Vegan Dinners on a Budget By Nisha Melvani

Reviewed by Stephanie Beldotti

 

I love beans! I love beans so much that I signed up for the Rancho Gordo Bean Club. Every three months, six bags of assorted beans, a grain product or spice, and a Newsletter with bean descriptions and recipes are delivered to my home. It allows me to discover unique and exciting types of beans and experiment with new recipes. This is why, when I signed up for the Louisville Community Cookbook Review, I knew that I wanted to review Practically Vegan. Published in 2022, it contains over 100 recipes, a majority of which employs beans as one of the ingredients.

I have been a vegetarian for over 25 years, sometime adhering strictly, but sometimes eating meat, depending on my personal needs and the situation. Recently, my cutest roommate was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which resulted in the exclusion of all products that contain gluten (wheat, barley, and rye), as well as dairy and eggs. In an attempt to show support and solidarity, I also gave up dairy and eggs, and accidently became almost vegan. (I apologize to all the bees out there, but I still eat honey.)

Our house has a somewhat complicated eating arrangement. No one eats gluten in the home, but every roommate has his or her own particular dietary needs and wants. The tallest roommate will eat everything but mushrooms, eggplant, and certain squash. The cutest eats chicken and salmon, but no dairy, eggs, and needs to be low sugar. And me, well like I said, I am practically vegan and I have an issue with food texture. For example, I love the way onions make my food taste, but hate the way the feel when I chew them. I process all our veggies in a mini-food processor to cut down on the size and texture issues. And one last thing, when you don’t have cheese to hide behind, flavor and spice becomes very important. So now that you know our background and food particulars, you can better understand my reviews and cooking style.

I was excited to start cooking! But, before I did anything, I perused the Forward and Introduction, as well as the sections on Pantry Staples (ingredients), and Techniques and Tips. I went through the whole cookbook, finding about 20 possible recipes that I might want to undertake. In the end I decided on four that would best suit our household in terms of taste, yield, and ingredient list. The four recipes were: Red Lentil Go-To Curry, Simple Chickpea Masala, Black Lentil Coconut Masala, and Spicy Black Bean Chili. Three of the recipes were from the Curry Section, which considering the author’s Indian heritage, I felt was a great place to start.

 

Red Lentil Go-To Curry

 

 

          My first recipe was the Red Lentil Go-To Curry. I always start by rinsing and soaking my lentils before cooking. Rinsing is necessary to get rid of any dirt and debris and to remove the foamy substance called saponins. (The author discusses this in her Techniques and Tips section.) I soak my lentils from 15 minutes up to a few hours, because I believe it makes them easier to cook and easier to digest.

         

          After soaking, I ended up cooking the red lentils for five minutes, then drained and set them aside. I continued by starting on the curry portion, following the recipe…mostly. I added the salt earlier and omitted the maple syrup. After simmering the veggies and spices for 10 minutes, I blended the curry mix and then added it back to the pot with the cooked lentils. I continued to cook the mixture on low until all the other components of the meal were ready to serve.

           

            Sadly, I was not impressed with this recipe and would not make it again. Not only did it temporarily dye my blender yellow and involve way too many kitchen tools, the taste was lacking. The dish needed more flavor and definitely more heat. Even on the second day, when a recipe of this type would mature, it was still bland. It might be a good gateway recipe to those new to Indian-inspired cuisine or families wanting to introduce their children to a new dish without worrying about the spice level. If you are seeking a good red lentil curry with lots of flavor, I would recommend the Vegan Red Curry from the blog Rainbow Plant Life.