Recipe: Creamy Banana Peel Curry

Eating banana peels? Sure! With this curry you can use the whole fruit and leave no waste behind. Just make sure to use organic bananas. Recipe by Lenna Omrani, lennaomrani.com

Ingredients:

• 250 g brown rice
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 gloves of garlic, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, in pieces
• 1 eggplant, in cubes
• 500 g sweet potato, in cubes
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1⁄2 black pepper
• 1 ripe banana (also the peel!)
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 500 ml vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 150 g red lentils
• 1 small can of brown lentils
• Lime juice
• Shopped almonds
• Fresh parsley

Method:

1. In a medium pot add rice, salt, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring a few times. Cook until the rice has absorbed the water, about 12 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the rice covered for 10 minutes.
2. Warm a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add coconut oil. Add onion and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, until translucent and soft.
3. Add yellow bell pepper, eggplant and sweet potato and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add all spices and stir until all combined.
4. Take the pre washed banana, peel the skin and cut the ends. With the help of a spoon, scrape the inside of the banana skin to remove the banana ‘leftovers’ along with its sweet taste.
5. Take a fork and place it at the top of the banana skin and shred it applying just a little bit of pressure. Cut the strips twice, to make sure they’re not too long.
6. Cut the banana into little cubes and add them, with the strips to the vegetables. Add coconut milk and vegetable broth as well and bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
7. Add red lentils and almond butter and cook for about 20 minutes. Lower the heat if you need to.
8. Remove the pot from the heat and add brown lentils. Stir until all combined.
9. Serve curry with rice and garnish with a little bit of shopped almonds and fresh parsley. Add lime juice as well, if you like to.