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. 😩)
I absolutely enjoyed this.
Unfortunately I have found that Nagi and I have very different ideas about salt levels, so I put in about 1/3 of what the recipe says and adjust according to taste later. Sometimes I still find it a little much.
But otherwise, it was a great recipe.
This recipe is a TOTAL winner! I’ve made this 10+ times and just recently decided to remove the cayenne completely as me and hubby are heat wimps.
Gave a sample bowl to our neighbor and they loved it.
I am a vegan and have wanted to try more curry options, this one is SO easy and SO delicious. Looking at some of your other recipes now, the chickpea and potato curry is next ony list. Thank you for making curry more accessable to someone that doesn’t really like to cook.
Made it tonight and the dish was DELICIOUS!!!!! So easy to make and really flavorful.
Hi Navi, I have made this recipe a few times now and it’s terrific!! I live in Northern Ontario, Canada and our winters can be 30 below – this is just a heart warming meal – thanks
Writing this comment as I eat a freshly cooked bowl of this delicious curry. I subbed the butter for olive oil, used ground ginger instead of fresh, added the cayenne pepper and reduced the salt to half a teaspoon. SO GOOD! The cayenne adds the perfect little kick but not too much. I also threw in a few handfuls of baby spinach I had lying in the fridge for extra veg. Will definitely be making this one again.
I just made this and it is amazingly delicious. Really really quick and easy so I didn’t expect this level of yum!
Hi, Nagi! Question. How much would a serving be?
Yes – its just as Nagi says – a great flavour with very few ingredients. The part about sauteeing the onions garlic and ginger is important – I made two, second a bit browner and definitely increased the taste.
Made this a few times now and it is awesome.
A couple of times I had a flatness in the taste, I had a nice flavor to begin then flatness then a nice after spice, solution was a teaspoon of Garam masala.
Thanks for the recipe
I also have made this a lot and found sometimes it’s a bit flat, I think it’s because I haven’t given the onion garlic ginger enough time in the beginning.
Quick, easy and full of flavour. Loved it.
Thanks Nagi!
Hi Nagi, this looks delicious! How spicy is this curry as I have a 2.5yo and he doesn’t take to spice that well yet.
Thank you for another wonderful recipe Nagi. I made this one and the Chickpea and Potato Curry tonight and received rave reviews.P.S. Love the new book.
What could I use instead of coconut milk?
Absolutely delicious. Easy to make on our holiday in Tenerife.
i made this for dinner and it was super quick and super good! i added a few stalks of celery and two tomatoes for extra texture and nutrition.
Made this heaps of times. Super easy and super tasty. Nagi you are amazing!
Thanks so much for this recipe! It isn’t the same flavor profile as dal, but I liked that difference. I made it in the pressure cooker, 12 minutes with natural pressure release for brown lentils (dried, unsoaked). I’ve made it once before to the letter, but took some liberties today: I didn’t have tomatoes so I subbed a squirt of tomato paste. The amount of liquid without the tomatoes is spot on for pressure cooking. Also adjusted the spices, adding a tsp of cumin, and a tsp of garam masala to finish (after cooking). I find the garam masala to add depth and warmth and really tie the dish together.
I just made this and the whole family loved it! Great recipe and quick to make. I will definitey make this again. Thanks!
Easy and delicious! We just had this and both my partner and I loved it. Easy and super tasty!
I added some paneer for extra nom nom.
This recipe is “so” good. It always delivers! I tend to add spinach leaves about 5-10 minutes before the end of the cooking time to add some greens to it. It’s perfect served with brown rice!