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.
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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!
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Garlic and ginger – while fresh is ideal (followed by jarred), powder is a sufficient substitute;
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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. 😩)
Loub says
Hi
I have a question irrelevant to the receipe, I see you are using Creust? Is it really worthy, knowing that the it is expensive, do you advice to make this investment?
Thanks 🙏
Nagi says
Hi Loub, I use Chasseur pots – worth every cent in my opinion!!! They last a lifetime! N x
Michelle F says
Absolutely awesome recipe. I added some capsicum as suggested and it’s a great addition. Thank you Nagi
Tracie Astin says
Once again another winner. Thanks Nagi. Every recipe I’ve tried has been a winner!!
Olivia says
This recipe is amazing!! I died and went to curry heaven! I added a red capsicum to give it a little something extra and served it with microwave coconut rice and it was a perfect quick dinner. Have told all my friends about this recipe and I can’t wait to make it again! Perfect winter warmer.
Anna says
This is a really delicious recipe! I’ve made it a couple of times, lovely with the coriander and yoghurt. What I like the best is the measurements are easy to grab – 1 cup lentils, 1 onion, 1 can tomato, 1 can coconut milk etc. I have everything in my pantry! Very handy. I am currently trying it out in the stove top pressure cooker ( a recent hand-me-down). It smells great! Thanks Nagi, another keeper!
Anna says
Ok, so stovetop pressure cooking is fantastic! I did ten minutes at High pressure and it was tooooo long. Tastes great though! 6-8 would probably be better. Hopefully others can learn from my mistakes 😀
Rachel says
Hi,
If using canned lentils, it says 2 cans, just wondering what size? Also would you still add any water?
Thanks!
Courtney Barrett says
Delicious! Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly.
Celeste says
This recipe is simple but full of flavour. Have made it twice now and the family loved it. You can’t mess this up.
Lillian says
Hello, will the tomatoes stop the lentils from cooking? Should I put them in last? I find that if I make any tomato based soup, the carrots and other veggies or potatoes I put in will never get soft, even after hours of simmering. Do you find this?
Nagi says
Hi Lillian, I’ve never had this problem, if you follow the recipe I guarantee it will turn out perfectly! N x
Lillian says
Made it last night. It was amazing! I was too chicken to add the tomatoes at the beginning (didn’t get your email yet) so I just added after the lentils were cooked and let simmer another 10 minutes. Next time I’ll try adding at the beginning.
Soooooo good. Thank you! The only thing I added was a bit of lemon juice. Can’t wait to eat leftovers today.
shaun r heatly says
Going for my second time round on this one tonight, it’s bloody good.
I use hot curry powder to give it a bit of kick, thanks Nagi
Charlotte says
I made this last night and….just Wow! Another easy but unbelievably delicious recipe! Thank goodness i found your web site, you have definitely changed our boring menu. I dont particularly like cooking but all your recipes are so quick, contain minimal ingredients and instruction which makes them so easy to follow! There’s not one recipe yet which i havent enjoyed!!! 👌
Michelle says
WOW!!!! Made this recipe tonight for family, and it was AMAZING! My husband didn’t have high hopes when I told him what I was planning on making for dinner, but he absolutely LOVED it (as did I!). He actually went back for thirds! And my fussy daughter liked it too. Will definitely be having this often now. I’ve tried quite a few of your recipes now, and they have all been so delicious! Thank you.
LINDA says
This was very easy to make, and the result was amazing, even for me. I made this recipe for my vegan family who absolutely loved it.
Lou says
Delicious! Followed recipe exactly and my strictly carnivore partner rated it 10/10
Nagi says
Wahoo! That’s the best compliment ever!! N x
Mary Tognazzini says
YOUR RECIPE NOTES WITH IT’S SUBS.IS SO HELPFUL. I DON’T ALWAYS HAVE ALL THE RIGHT INGREDS.SO YELLOW SPLIT PEAS I HAVE.
Tanja says
I’m looking forward to try this recipe
What I can use instead coconut milk?
Thanks
Mariechen says
Delicious! And no meat, can you believe it? A new favourite, thank you.
Mia says
I made this for some vegan friends who came over the other night (subbed the butter for olive oil). It was a hit! Fantastic recipe!!!!
Cara says
This was delicious! Perfect consistency and flavour. The yogurt and coriander completed it.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved it Cara! N x
Angela says
Wow I certainly wasn’t expecting such an full on flavour. This dish is my new favourite, amazing!!