Recipe: Golden Healing Curry

What is a recipe that is special enough for right after birth, but also gentle and fortifying? This is the curry that I make most often for my postpartum clients. It works just as well for people celebrating the end of the first forty days as it does for those who just gave birth at home and need a first meal after delivery. It is the dish I make most often for friends' postpartum meal trains in their early days of recovery. It's super adaptable and smells absolutely amazing while it's cooking.

I love filling my clients' houses with the warm comforting aroma of my golden healing curry. The ingredients are all intentionally chosen to be both gentle and also celebratory. It is can be vegan if you use vegetable broth. You can make it more of a soup or a stew by adding more or less broth. You can swap in your favorite fancy nut and grain. I've scrounged this dish up in some of the barest of kitchens. As long as you've got turmeric, broth, and lentils, you can make it work.

I like this meal so much that I regularly make it for myself. It also freezes really well. If you are reading this while pregnant, I recommend making a double batch and freezing half. You could also send this recipe to a friend and ask them to make it for you.

Orange and green vegetables are particularly well suited for healing in postpartum and this recipe is filled with them. I feel strongly about not skipping the turmeric, especially because it pairs well with the coconut milk for an antioxidant-rich creaminess - and because it is what gives the recipe the title of "golden." The carrot, sweet potato, and red lentil pack a vitamin A and C punch!

Digestion is a huge consideration for postpartum: you want things that will be easy on your body and easy to pass. Those first bowel movements post-birth are not to be taken lightly. This recipe has a lot of fiber and is high in healthy fat, all of which will make it easier to pass.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium/large onion

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp+ turmeric

1 tsp cinnamon

salt + pepper to taste

6-8 cups broth of your choice, preferably homemade

3 carrots

1 sweet potato

1 cup brocoli florets (optional)

1 1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup fancy nuts (cashew, macadamia), halved

1 cup red lentils

1/2 cup quinoa or rice (optional)

1 can full fat coconut milk

2-3 handfuls of spinach or arugula

1. Heat the olive oil and add garlic, onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.

2. Add all spices and stir for 1 minute to bloom. It is ok if they start to stick a bit as long as they don't burn.

3. Add broth to deglaze the pot, then add carrots, sweet potato, mushrooms and nuts. Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes.

4. Add lentils and grain, reduce heat to low, and cook until everything is soft (about 20 minutes). If you want a thicker stew, do the first 10 minutes covered and then the second 10 minutes uncovered.

5. Add the coconut milk and spinach and cook 5 more minutes.

Golden Healing Stew simmering next to a perineal soak at a home birth