This lentil recipe is an eye opener – an incredible creamy coconut Lentil Curry made with just TWO spices! It’s a streamlined version of Indian Dal, delivering a similar intoxicating curry flavour but a whole lot less complicated. Make this with any type of dried lentils, canned, or even split peas!
Don’t let the simplicity of this recipe fool you. This is knock-your-socks-off good, and proof that you can eat amazing food on a budget.
“I’ll be honest and say I thought this would be lacking in flavour because I’m used to trying curries from scratch rather than with curry powder……How wrong was I?? I apologise wholeheartedly Nagi!! Amazing recipe, please try this people. Tasty, easy, mind blowingly awesome. xx” – Emily, 10 April 2020
Lentil Recipe – easy – mega flavour!
I know it’s childish of me to complain, but this Lentil Curry took an irritatingly long time to create.
I wanted simple. Minimal ingredients. And meat-free. Not like, say, this more complex (but equally delicious) Beef and Lentil Soup.
Quick to make. Very little chopping, very few ingredients.
A “go to” lentil recipe I could make any night that didn’t sacrifice flavour for speed.
And it had to stack up to real Indian Dal. I love it. I just don’t always have the time or everything I need to make it.
I knew it was a pretty high benchmark. Creating kapow! flavours out of plain lentils without going crazy with a list of spices.
But finally, I’m happy – and ready to share. Here it is!! (And just TWO SPICES!!)
Two little steps make all the difference…..
The key to cooking amazing food with bare minimum ingredients is good produce and knowing what to do to extract the most flavour out of what you have.
For this recipe, we’re going for the latter. We take our time sautéing the onions, ginger and garlic so they transform from raw harshness to a sweet, savoury flavour base. Then we cook off the two spices to make the flavour bloom.
These two little steps make all the difference so we only need water for this curry, no stock!
What goes in Lentil Curry with Coconut Sauce
Here’s what you need:
Lentils – use any dried lentils or canned here. Brown, green, red, yellow, whether split or whole OR any type of dried split peas. Green split peas will result in an an interesting colour in your pot, but it will still be phenomenally delicious. Just avoid French lentils (Puy lentils / black lentils) as they don’t soften as well as other lentils so you won’t get the same creamy, thick texture.
Curry powder – This is the main shortcut, The beauty of this is that you don’t need any fancy curry powder, just your run-of-the-mill jar from the grocery store. I’ve made this with Clives of India, Keens, and a generic brand and they all tasted just as good. Just be mindful of using SPICY curry powder – check the label!
Garlic and ginger – while fresh is ideal (followed by jarred), powder is a sufficient substitute;
Coconut milk – if you use low fat instead of full fat, you are not allowed to complain if your sauce isn’t as good as you hoped!😂
How to make this lentil recipe
And here’s how to make it. It takes about 50 minutes start to finish, but the active effort is only around 10 minutes – and there’s a nice flow to it because you can gather and measure ingredients while you stir the onions every now and then.
The Secret to an amazing Lentil Recipe
The key step here is sautéing the onions, garlic and ginger over a low-ish heat until tinged with gold, and they transform into a sweet, savoury flavour base for the sauce so we only need water instead of stock or broth.
Then we also cook off the curry powder and turmeric which lets the spices bloom before adding the lentils and everything else in to simmer away.
Just LOOK at that incredible sauce! So creamy! Loaded with flavour! (There are not enough exclamation marks in this world!!!)
What to serve with lentil curry
A sauce this good demands rice to soak it up, though if you’re on a low carb kick then cauliflower rice will work a treat. Basmati is on theme (being a curry and all) though plain white rice or brown rice is just fine too.
And if you really want to go all out, add a side of flatbread: Either real-deal naan or my general-purpose flatbread (an easy, no yeast recipe and I serve it as naan all the time with Indian curries).
Now, go forth and experience the greatness that is lentils!! Economical, filling, nourishing – the world’s greatest source of plant based protein, all wrapped up in a coconut curry sauce. YESS!!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Lentil Curry – mega flavour lentil recipe!
Ingredients
- 50g (3 tbsp) butter , unsalted (sub 2 tbsp neutral oil)
- 4 garlic cloves , finely minced (Note 1)
- 1.5 tbsp ginger , finely minced (Note 1)
- 1 onion , finely chopped (white, yellow, brown)
- 2 tbsp curry powder , mild or spicy (your choice!) (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper , optional
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup dried lentils , green or brown (or any other dried lentils or split peas, Note 3)
- 400 ml / 14 oz coconut milk , full fat
- 400g/ 14 oz canned tomato , crushed or diced
- 3 cups (750 ml) water
Serving:
- 1/2 cup coriander/cilantro , finely chopped
- Yogurt , optional
- Basmati rice (or other rice)
Instructions
- Saute onion: Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Slowly cook, stirring every now and then, for 10 minutes until tinged with gold and the onion is sweet.
- Cook off spices: Turn heat up to high, add curry powder and turmeric, stir for 1 1/2 minutes.
- Add everything else: Add remaining ingredients and stir. Bring to simmer, then place lid on and adjust heat to low / medium low so it's simmering gently.
- Simmer: Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove lid and simmer for a further 10 minutes to reduce the sauce. {Note 2 for cook times of other lentils}
- Lentils should be soft, sauce should be thickened and creamy. Too thick, add water. Too thin, simmer with lid off – thickens quickly.
- Coriander: Stir through half the coriander, then taste and add more salt if needed.
- Serve over basmati rice, sprinkled with more coriander and a dollop of yogurt. (Low carb option – cauliflower rice).
Recipe Notes:
- Green and brown lentils – most common & cheapest, cook per recipe
- Canned lentils (2 cans drained) – 25 min, uncovered the whole time
- Red split lentils – 25 min, uncovered the whole time
- Yellow or green split peas – 25 min, uncovered the whole time
- Any dal (Indian lentils) such as channa dal, toor dal or moong dal – per recipe
- French lentils (Puy lentils / black lentils) – not recommended as they don’t soften as well as other lentils so you won’t get the same creamy, thick texture.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Dozer in lockdown mode. This is what passer byes see.
(Don’t worry, he still gets out once a day to the dog park! He just doesn’t go out as much as he used to. Like all of us. 😩)
Loved this – thank you…
And the flatbread was pretty good too!!! 😊
Wahoo, that’s great Anne! N x
Loved this – thank you 😊
You’re so welcome Anne! N x
Loved this recipe! It has become a weekly dinner at home. I also add 1/2 tsp of cumin and use passata & fresh tomatoes instead of the canned. Thanks for a wonderful recipe 🙂
Made this. Delicious! Thanks. Other than the curry and turmeric powder, I also put a small pinch of garam masala and cajun mix spices (the purists will kill me…). I didn’t have cayenne pepper, so I just replaced it with a small fresh Asian chili pepper and 4 tiny dried bird’s eye chili. I like it hot 😀 At the end, I mixed everything until almost smooth.
Sounds perfect Tri! N x
Amazing I loved it thanks
You’re so welcome Omar! N x
The best of the best, third time I am making it .
Hey Nagi
We LOVE your recipes! I haven’t made this yet, could I add chicken? If so, what would you say would be the best to use? And would I have to alter the cooking time? Thank you! You rock!
Hi Kate, you definitely can – I would use thigh cut into small chunks, fry it off so it’s almost cooked through then remove from the heat – make the curry and add the chicken back in for the last 10 minutes of simmering. N x
I love it. I make it again today 🙂
That’s awesome Anita! N x
So simple, yet so delicious! I will be adding this to the favorites. I did substitute Ghana Dal for the lentils per your recommendation.
Awesome Sarah! N x
Loved this recipe. I never really cook with beans but I devised to give this one a try and it didn’t disappoint. Must add the sour cream/yogurt/cream cheese at the end. I only had cream cheese but it worked! Thank you for the easy recipes. I love your website.
That’s great to hear Esther! N x
This was fantastic! I love that it gave us plenty of leftovers. I made it with your Flatbread recipe <3
Perfect with flat bread Lizzie, I’m so glad you loved it! N x
Great recipe. Very easy, quick and most importantly very tasty. Family loved it and leftovers next day just as good. Thank you.
You’re so welcome Darren! N x
Another hit with the family. Simple and quick and most importantly very tasty. Leftovers were great next day too
Thanks so much for letting me know!! N x
Great recipe thank you!
Thanks so much Annelise! N x
Curious if could be made in a pressure cooker?
THIS WAS AMAZING.
Thanks so much Suzie! N x
Hi Nagi, I made this Lentil Curry exactly as you put in the recipe. It was soooo darn good. I had it for lunch the next day. I am actually finishing it up for supper tonight. I have the Basmati on cooking right now. I also have your No-Knead Bread in the oven. I made the bread a few days ago. Again – No-Fail. You have the best no-fail recipes. Thank you so much for sharing. I love getting your e-mails.
Sounds like a feast Debbie!!! Thanks so much for the feedback 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi! Can I substitute Coconut Milk with Fresh Milk?
It’s not quite the same here, but if you’re desperate, I’d add 1 cup of milk. N x
I made this with green split peas and followed your directions. The split peas were not ready after 35 minutes (25 minutes lid off in step 4 + extra 10 minutes in step 5). The consistency looked good without the 3 cups of water but I added the water and cooked it for 30-40 more minutes with the lid off since the split peas were “crunchy”.
Even after an hour of cooking, the split peas were still a little toothsome, not creamy like when using lentils.
Should I pre-soak the split peas or pre-cook them?
Hi Nicole! That sounds really odd, split peas are so small, they cook in 20 – 25 minutes easily – no soaking necessarily. The only thing I can think is that the split peas were very very old – because the older dried beans are, the longer they take to cook. But still! Over an hour?? For that packet you have, I would suggest soaking to help cook them faster. Hope that helps! N x
Hi Nagi, I’m having the same issue with the split peas (yellow). I’m making a day ahead…. tomorrow before I serve I might add extra stock and simmer for another 30/40 mins. Should I add anything extra to keep the flavour? Also do you think if the peas haven’t completely softened after an hr cooking maybe they won’t? Thanks x
My three favourite foods. Delicious, nutritious and cheap! I’ve been looking for an easy, tasty lentil curry and this is it.
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Liz! N x
This was great. I put cauliflower through for last 10 mins and some frozen peas.
Yum, great idea to get extra veg in! N x