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
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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. 😩)
Delicious. I live at altitude, so my lentils weren’t fully done, even cooking 10 minutes over the cooking time. So next time I will make better adjustments. I did add smoked paprika and a little chicken broth instead of water. Yummo. We will make this again!
Super simple and absolutely delicious.
This looks delicious. I’m wanting to make this soon for some guests & my stove top is really bad – the elements are basically scorching hot or nothing so simmering dishes doesn’t work 😞. Could I do this in the slow cooker? How would you adapt it to a slow cooker? I gave searing function on my slow cooker so I could cook the spices out etc first to still get the flavour happening.
A favourite in my household – I love how easy it is to make. Lately we’ve tried it with eggplant, cauliflower and chickpeas – so delicious. I sometimes add extra curry powder and a bit of raw sugar.
Super easy and so delicious
This recipe makes lentils exciting. I also made naan bread to accompany the soup.
I made this for the first time today and I LOVE it!! Family of vegans / vegetarians. I did add some chopped up pumpkin and a handful of spinach. I found on my stove I had to cook the red lentil version for about 45 minutes with the lid off to get the right consistency (probably higher water content due to veggies added). I used one cup of vege stock, 2 cups of water and didn’t add extra salt. I served with rice and a lovely fruit chutney. So easy, so versatile and delicious.
I’m so sneaky, I add a little chicken into it and the kids don’t notice it’s got lentils! So delicioous.
Hi Cher,
I am looking at making this dish for tomorrow night’s dinner, at what point did you add the chicken – how much and did you add any broth or was the tinned tomatoes enough?
Thank you
Was a hit with my teenage boys, they went back for seconds. Full of flavour and a super quick and cheap meal to make.
I love this recipe so much. I cook it maybe once a month and always make a double batch to have plenty of meals ready-to-go in the freezer. Bonzer as always, Nagi. Pets for Dozer.
My first ever lentils recipe I’ve made and my carnivore kids(9,7&4) devoured this ! So yummy! I skipped the cayenne and served over day old Spanish rice because I need it gone lol. It was fabulous 😭. Served it with some mini ready to bake biscuits. Extra lazy dinner must I say but it was a hit. Thank you! I’ll be printing this and adding to my rotation. Mind you, I was haunted on the idea of lentils … my mother used to make them and added lots of lime to them . I prefer THIS version.
Delish! So easy and economical.
Hi
I just wanted to add something Greeks say about lentils (all legumes) – salt at the end or it may cause the lentils to stay hard.
Oh Nagi, this is so very good! I’d had some dental work done and only allowed soft foods for a week. The recommended custard, ice cream and jelly wasn’t going to cut it for me for an entire week!! I needed nutrition and so glad I found this recipe. My hubby cooked it up for me and it was perfect. Made it again tonight and as my hubs says “It’s a keeper!”. Thank you for all the time, energy and love you put into creating wonderful recipes to keep us all well fed and nourished xo
Hi,
how many servings are there in this recipe?
thank you
This recipe is now a staple in our family’s weekly meals- at least every other week. SO delicious. Our family never ate lentils until this recipe! A winner.
Loved this, and I don’t like lentils. Ha! Had a “The Now Curry” sachet from Penzey’s spices that I haven’t used because I love their sweet curry blend. The sachet was 11g and was more than suggested curry amount so I eliminated the turmeric. Used veggie broth for water (why not, I say) and added carrots. 1 tsp salt to compensate for broth and the amount of saltiness was perfect. Perfect recipe especially since I always have these ingredients on hand. Hats off to you Nagi!
My sister put me onto this recipe, she makes it for our mum. I’ve now made it about 5 times and tonight I made the Vegetarian Lasagna for the 2nd time, both very easy and very delish !!!
This is so delicious and really easy to make, thanks heaps !!!
This is so delicious! I make a double batch and pop it into the freezer for work lunches. The addition of pumpkin and beans (or anything that needs to be used) adds an extra nutritional pop to this amazing meal.
Thanks, Nagi!
I added pumpkin and some chopped spinach. The recipe seems to handle these additions really well!