1 part lentils, 2 parts water
2 parts rice, 3.5 parts water
1 can coconut milk
cooking oil
lime juice
miso paste or soy sauce
turmeric
chili powder
cayenne
cumin
cinnamon
garlic powder
bay leaf
black pepper
toasted sesame oil
seasonal vegetables (avocado, kale, spinach, tomato, cilantro, etc.)
add rice and water into a pot. add a little salt and a bit of sesame oil. stir. high heat, reduce to low when it starts boiling. in meantime start the lentils
put a little cooking oil in pan (cast iron works great). medium heat. add turmeric, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, cinnamon, and black pepper and mix into paste. the specific amount of each is up to you, but go big with the turmeric. about a spoon of paste per serving is a good estimate. let this toast until it starts to make the air spicy.
throw dry lentils in pan. take the lid off the aluminium coconut milk can and place it upside down in the pan. as the can warms up the coconut fat will melt and it will pour out much easier. remove can. add the water. stir thoroughly. add a shot of lime juice and a spoon of miso paste / splash of soy sauce. you can always add more saltiness later. finish with a bit of sesame oil and bay leaf. stir again thoroughly. high heat, reduce to low and cover when it starts to boil
cook lentils to taste, stirring occasionally. this is bean anarchy, there are no rules. i like mine to be a bit al dente. if you get an upset stomach you can cook them longer next time. when lentils are done, the rice will be done too. take both off of heat. fluff the rice.
add seasonal vegetables on top. eat while hot. both rice and curry will last about a week in the fridge.
this recipe isn't original to me. variations upon this are basically the primary staple of the global south. it is delicious, extremely practical, cheap and scalable. you can make this for one person or one hundred at your local food not bombs meetup. the biggest cost involved here is the spices. don't buy these in single use plastic bottles. buy in bulk instead, at winco or a restaurant supply. you'll find that you can make dinner for less than one dollar per person if you do this effectively. this recipe is vegan, and with the exception of garlic powder, nearly universally religiously acceptable. this is a two pot meal and also requires very little cleanup. once you start to eat vegan, and get used to foods like these, you'll realize how much big agriculture has hacked our brains into needing corn, sugar, meat, and dairy. this meal has a significantly higher nutritional density than much of the "healthy" foods eaten in the united states.