Lentil and Mushroom Coconut Curry Risotto
I've made a lot of variations of this dish, but the one that I made last night was probably the best so far. Usually I make the coconut curry lentils separate and serve it over jasmine rice, but this time I cooked the rice and lentils in one pot, making the rice extra soft and creamy. It's not really a risotto in a strict sense, but the creaminess of this dish is definitely risotto-like.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter or coconut oil
- 1 vidalia onion (or white onion)
- 1 red or yellow pepper or 3-5 mini sweet peppers
- 1 package sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 tbsp salt
- Sprinkle of garlic powder
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1/2 cup brown lentils
- 1-2 squares of S&B Golden Curry Mix, to taste
- 1/2 can coconut milk
- Chopped cilantro (garnish)
Put the Instant Pot on the saute setting and drop in the butter or coconut oil. While that's heating, chop the onion. Add the onion to the pot to brown, stirring infrequently. While the onion is cooking, chop the peppers. Add the chopped peppers to the Instant Pot and continue to brown the onion and pepper. Rinse and drain the mushrooms and add them to the Instant Pot. Add the salt and garlic powder and continue to cook the vegetables for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the onions are browned and the mushrooms have darkened in color. Everything should smell mushroomy and there should be some browning on the bottom of the pot.
Pour in 1 cup of water to deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot and scrub up any brown bits stuck to the bottom. Then, pour in the rice, lentils, and the other 2 cups of water. Turn off the saute setting. Add in the curry squares and mix well to dissolve the curry into the mixture. Trust me, you don't want to bite into an undissolved square of curry mix. I like to stir until the mixture smells of curry instead of mushrooms and I can't find any curry chunks in my spoon.
Select the rice setting on the Instant Pot and set it to 15 minutes. When the rice is finished cooking, let sit for another 8 to 10 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure. Open the lid and stir the rice and veggies. Everything should be thick and creamy at this point. Add in the 1/2 can of coconut milk and stir. Serve in bowls with chopped cilantro on top.