Coconut Red Lentil Curry

One pot coconut red lentil curry will soon become your go-to protein packed vegetarian meal that is so full of flavors!  Packed with flavors of fresh spices of ginger, garlic, turmeric, curry packed and balanced out with rich coconut milk makes the curry THE BEST BUDGET FOOD! There’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of rice with hearty, filling curry.

Why Try This Coconut Lentil Curry?

1. This curry has cosiness and warm hearty flavors. It’s so flavorful and delicious; it’ll easily become your go-to weeknight vegetarian dinner.
2. Flavors of fresh ginger, fresh garlic, spices like turmeric powder, curry powder, cayenne pepper is balanced by the richness of coconut milk making satiating meal.
3. Lentils are power house of plant based proteins. Don’t forget to include lentils in your meals at least twice a week. And what better way than a lentil curry with rice for meal!
4. You can use any types of lentil – red, yellow, green or brown lentils.  The recipe works great for all type of lentils.
5. Easily pack more nutrition in the curry by adding in vegetables like sweet potatoes, cauliflower and for meat lovers, you can add in chicken – that’s right chicken lentil curry it is for days when your body wants ALL plant-based and animal-based proteins to-gether!
6. Cook everything in ONE POT, yay to that! Less dishes ending up in sink for cleaning!
7. If you are in hurry and looking for cozy meal, this curry is the best choice! You’ll need 30 minutes or less (red lentils) for the curry to be served.

Ingredients Needed

Below picture shows all ingredients that you would need to make the best version of homemade coconut lentil curry:

Don’t get intimidated with the number of ingredients in the photo. As you can see almost all of it are basic day-to-day ingredients that you mostly will have in your pantry!

Lentils: The HERO of the dish! Red lentils are my choice. Feel free to use any type of lentils. This recipe for curry will work with yellow lentils, green lentils and even brown lentils. You might have to adjust the cook time for different lentils. Brown and green lentils may take a couple of extra minutes to cook.

Onion: Feel free to use whatever onions you have – yellow or red onions.

Tomato: Canned tomato (either crushed or diced) can be used. I used homemade tomato puree for the recipe as I could not get canned tomatoes in the store.

Fresh Spices: Fresh ginger and fresh garlic gives so much flavor to the curry that you can’t achieve the same with ginger powder and garlic powder. Please use fresh ginger and garlic. And trust me, a little extra heat in the curry always makes it better! I like to add serrano peppers to the curry to make it little spicier.

Serrano Peppers: Please add serrano peppers only if you can handle spice. I always love my curries a little spicier! This is optional! If you can handle spice, then I highly recommend you add this. Alternatively you can deseed the peppers and add it to the curry for flavor.

Spice Powders:

Curry Powder: Using a good brand of curry powder makes so much difference. I get asked by many readers on how to choose the best curry powder? Choose the curry powder that is not fully Indian intended. Choose HOT if you like your curry spicier, if not choose mild curry powder. You can make your own curry powder at home which will give you full control on taste and spiciness.

Turmeric Powder: it’s health benefits are vast! Along with adding the trademark yellowish color to recipe and giving it the authentic taste, it has many properties like anti-inflammatory properties!

Cayenne Pepper: Adds spiciness to the curry. Any curry tastes best when it has tolerable amount of spiciness to it. All flavors of spicy, sweet and sour needs to be balanced! Adjust the amount as per spiciness required! You can substitute cayenne pepper with pure chili powder too for best authentic taste.

Stock: Vegetable stock or water can be used to cook lentils.  Using vegetable stock enhances the flavors. Vegetable bouillon cubes can also be use.

Oil & Butter: Use any neutral cooking oil. Sunflower or vegetable oil is best. Butter is optional. Adding butter in the end, makes curry richer and taste better – butter makes everything taste better! If you want to make vegan curry, skip adding butter in the end.

Coconut Milk: Use thick coconut milk. Note: thick coconut milk may split if added in the beginning and cooked for long time or even cooked on high flame. To avoid splitting of coconut milk, add it in the end once lentils are cooked through!

Seasoning: Salt and pepper to taste must. Seasoning a curry as per taste is very important!

Garnish: Few tablespoons of freshly chopped cilantro add so much to the curry. I wouldn’t recommend parsley for garnish as substitute for cilantro. Cilantro and just cilantro is what you need to be using for garnishing any curry.

How To Make Red Lentil Curry (Step-By-Step Pictures)

1. Use a deep bottom pot for cooking. Heat oil in the pot. Then saute diced onions, minced ginger and minced garlic. Saute until onions turn pink, ginger-garlic is fragrant. Do not brown the onions.
2. Add serrano pepper (optional) and canned tomato into the pot. Cook for few minutes until you see oil separating from the sides of the pan.
3. Add all the spice powders – turmeric powder, curry powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything and let it cook for 30 seconds.
4. Add in red lentils.
5. Pour vegetable stock. Stir everything until well combined.
6. Cover pot with the lid and cook on medium flame until lentils are cooked through and tender.
7. Note: open lid to check the lentils at regular times. Add water or stock if the pot is too dry.
8. Once lentils are cooked, stir in thick coconut milk.
9. Add in a big chunk of butter and lemon juice. Mix everything.
10. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve over a bowl of rice immediately! Enjoy!

Secret Tips For Amazing Tasting Curry

• Cook everything well and correct. You’ll need little patience while cooking curry. Particularly this recipe is not dump-everything-at-once.
• A good curry begins with a good onion-tomato base sauce.  Sauteing onion-ginger-garlic in oil on low flame until the raw smell disappears is important. When sauteed well the curry will be fragrant and taste better. Very important do not want to brown or burn onion-garlic-ginger!
• Same with tomato puree. Give it a few minutes to cook on low flame. Ideally you cook tomatoes until it’s cooked though. To know if tomatoes are cooked through, here’s a tip. If you see oil separating from the sauce on the sides of the pan, then tomato puree is cooked.  Wait until you see oil separating on the sides of the pan.
• Using the right curry powder is important. If you want to make spicy curry, choose HOT curry powder. Cook curry powder and other spices in the onion-tomato base sauce for 20-30 seconds.
• Do not add too much liquid. Curry should be saucy, creamy and not runny and thin. Adjust liquid amount as you cook lentils. If needed extra start with ¼ cup a time to help lentils cook through.
• If you want to cook lentils in coconut milk, use thinned down version of coconut milk, it will not split. Add thick coconut milk to the curry once lentils are cooked through, you’ll have creamier curry with rich coconut flavor to it.

DO YOU LOVE CURRY? WELL GOOD! WE GOT LOTS OF OTHER CURRY RECIPES JUST FOR YOU. CHECK THESE OUT –

Thai Panang Chicken Curry

Chickpea Curry With Vegetables (it’s vegan!)

Most Delicious Egg Curry

Thai Butternut Squash Curry

Indian Eggplant Curry

Spicy Fish Curry

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4.93 from 13 votes

Coconut Red Lentil Curry

Jyothi Rajesh

One pot coconut red lentil curry will soon become your go-to protein packed vegetarian meal that is so full of flavors! Packed with flavors of fresh spices of ginger, garlic, turmeric, curry packed and balanced out with rich coconut milk makes the curry THE BEST BUDGET FOOD! There’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of rice with hearty, filling curry.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 6 servings

Calories 344

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup dried red lentils
• ▢ 1 onion diced
• ▢ 12 oz canned tomato
• ▢ 5 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 ¼ tablespoon ginger minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoon cooking oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoon curry powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper adjust as needed
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin powder optional I skipped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 3 ½ cups vegetables stock or water
• ▢ 350 ml thick coconut milk
• ▢ 2 tablespoon butter

For garnish:

• ▢ Fresh Cilantro

To serve:

• ▢ Rice

Instructions

 

• Use a deep bottom pot for cooking.
• Heat oil in the pot. Then saute diced onions, minced ginger and minced garlic. Saute until onions turn pink, ginger-garlic is fragrant. Do not brown the onions.
• Add serrano pepper (optional) and canned tomato into the pot. Cook for few minutes until you see oil separating from the sides of the pan.
• Add all the spice powders – turmeric powder, curry powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything and let it cook for 30 seconds.
• Add in red lentils.
• Pour vegetable stock. Stir everything until well combined.
• Cover pot with the lid and cook on medium flame until lentils are cooked through and tender.

  Note: open lid to check the lentils at regular times. Add water or stock if the pot is too dry.
• Once lentils are cooked, stir in thick coconut milk.
• Add in a big chunk of butter and lemon juice. Mix everything.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve over a bowl of rice immediately! Enjoy!

Video

Notes

1. Sauteing onion-ginger-garlic in oil on low flame until the raw smell disappears is important. When sauteed well the curry will be fragrant and taste better. Very important do not want to brown or burn onion-garlic-ginger!
2. Cook tomatoes until it’s cooked through, until you see oil separating on the sides of the pan.
3. Do not add too much liquid. Curry should be saucy, creamy.
4. To avoid splitting of coconut milk, add it in the end once lentil is cooked through.

 

Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 344kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 11gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 669mgPotassium: 679mgFiber: 11gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 770IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 6mg

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