This is a concoction I can honestly say is mine — one of those “oh, this should all be good together” kind of dinners that worked really well. I first did something like this several years ago, to promptly forget it. Recently, I recreated it, and it’s now a favorite in our house.

All measurements are “ish.” That’s how I roll.

Makes: Fills most of an 8-quart stockpot. So, 6-7 quarts, I guess?

Sautee in 2T or so coconut oil (canola if you don’t keep CO on hand):

• 1 large white onion, diced
• 5 celery ribs, chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup (guessing here) chopped fresh basil or 1tsp dried
• 1tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 to 1 tsp ground ginger (or 1-2 T fresh diced; I was feeling lazy)
• 1 to 1-1/2 tsp dried lemon grass

Cook for a few minutes (until the onions start to go clear), then add 2oz Thai red curry paste (about 1/2 a bottle). Stir in and let sautee for a minute.

Chop up 1-pound bag of baby carrots into quarters, lengthwise, then crosswise. Or, alternately, chop half of them, say “Fuck it all,” and put the rest of them in whole. (Alternately, use whole carrots, which would be much simpler to cut up.) Add these, and sautee for another minute or two.

Pour in:

• 24oz cheap beer. I use Coors Light, purely because any leftovers get drunk by my dad when he visits. Any crappy, unfit-for-consumption American beer will do.
• 2 14-oz cans coconut milk
• 4 14-oz cans chicken stock
• 1 16-oz bag of dried lentils

Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer. Add:

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 4 Tbsp soy sauce (I used regular-salt Tamari)
• 2 Tbsp Sriacha sauce

Chop 4 to 5 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts into cubes. (You can boil, or pressure cooking makes them REALLY tender.) Add to the pot.

Cook 20-30 minutes, until lentils tender. Add 1tsp of salt (or salt to taste).

Serve over brown rice.

YUM.