Lentil and Tomato Stew

To make the stew, chop the onion and garlic. Grate the ginger. Place the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, tomatoes, and coconut milk near the stove.

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring often, until very tender and caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until very fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes, coconut milk, water, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt.

Put the lentils in a fine mesh strainer and rinse. Peel the eggplant and cut into ½-inch pieces. Peel the sweet potato and cut into ½-inch pieces. Add the lentils, eggplant, and sweet potato to the pot. Stir to combine. Cover partially with a lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and vegetables are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. You may want to add a little more water if the stew is too thick. Taste for salt; you may want to add a little more.

For the cumin yogurt, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, lime juice, water, cumin, and salt and stir together. Serve the stew topped with a spoonful of the lime yogurt, cilantro sprigs, and squeeze of lime. Or you are making this vegan, spoon on a dollop of coconut yogurt, then top with the cilantro and lime.