So, when I think "stew," I don't tend to think "vegetarian." When I cook at home, I have to do it in a way that both myself and my wife, a vegetarian, can enjoy. I'm really not sure what qualifies something to be a "stew," but hopefully this fits. I call it Tomato Peanut Stew. Here she goes: Before you do any of this, start making some lentils and some rice. -I shouldn't have to tell you how to do this. Figure it out :) -I forgot to take pictures of this part. But it's damn easy. now... Chop up an onion, some garlic and some fresh ginger. Throw it in a pan with some olive oil. Add some cumin, some garam masala, and some paprika. A lot of people will add the spices later, with the tomatoes. Those people are stupid. I added in the "meat" like substance I bought for my wife. It is supposed to replicate ground beef. If I were you guys, I'd use chicken or beef and add it in at this point. With the "meat" I added some beer. It always makes me a bit sad to pour beer in to anything that isn't my throat. Next, add in your rice, your lentils and some diced tomato. I used a 28oz can, but that's because I'm busy as hell and in this regards, I was somewhat lazy. You can absolutely chop your own tomatoes, -You're a go getter. -Add salt/pepper to taste Now add in 1 cup of peanut butter, chunky is good because it gives the dish some texture. If you're not a fan of peanut butter, then dial back the amount you put in. It really, really thickens the dish up. This WILL stick to your ribs. Check out the spoon sticking straight up: When plating (bowling) it, top it with some plain yogurt, cilantro and some sriracha. Yes, that's my attempt at a sriracha hub-wheel: I couldn't stomach the idea of a stew without meat, so I bought some thai peanut curry sausages and grilled those up and threw them in my bowl: My wife really liked the dish a lot, while I wasn't as enthusiastic about it. If I were to cook this again, I think it would be better with thai noodles and not rice/lentils. Thanks for the challenge OftenBen, I enjoyed the cooking process. You asked to explain our method of cooking. I don't really work from recipes and if I do, it's more for inspiration than direct guidance. I don't measure spices etc, I just sort of "go." -It's a very similar approach to how I do most artistic endeavors. I know just enough about cooking to be able to "improvise" a bit, which is fun.
I simultaneously applaud the vegetarian preparation and the curry sausages! Those by themselves sound like the beginnings of some awesome meals. I wholeheartedly agree on the food == art thing. A friend of mine came back from culinary school with this book and I drool over it every time I'm at his place. It lists ingredients alphabetically and gives good pairings and flavor profiles.
A few things. 1) Any particular reason not to do the lentils and rice at the same time? 'cuz that's how I've always done lentil-ey soups and it seems to work... 2) You're perilously close to one of Bellingham's most famous recipes. 3) You are drinking the beer, you're just taking a roundabout way of doing it. And trust me, you want to use good beer. I once got a coupon for $4 off a $5.99 12-pack of Hamm's Lite Ice. We bought two - I mean, what's not to like about $4/case beer? Until we discovered that it was so nasty you couldn't attract slugs with it. I poured some in some ground beef while making chili and rendered the entire meal inedible. My roommate at the time would drink anything... and while we ended up having to buy Scope way too regularly, we had more than half a case of that shit left over when we moved out a year later. It might still be under the sink.
Back when I worked in restaurants a chef told me to never cook with any wine that I wouldn't drink. Same goes for beer. -rice wine etc get a pass. As for the lentils/rice -absolutely, cook them together at the same time. Truth is, the lentils were already done I just needed to cook rice and add the lentils to them. But again, I'd go with Thai noodles if I made this again.