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. 😩)
This is absolutely delicious, and so simple and cheap! I do a double batch and sometimes only use half the coconut milk to you the spice. I serve over a little brown rice with a dollop of Greek yoghurt – lunches sorted for the whole week!!!
Hi there!
If I used canned lentils, do I need the water?
Yes you do Lynn, because you use the cans drained as per the recipe notes! N x
This recipe was fantastic!! I didn’t see your message until now but I did add some water as I went because it was a little thick 😉 I’ll remember to do that next time. We are trying to eat more vegetarian dishes and we are always trying to find good recipes to keep beans interesting. Could it be made with paneer or tofu?
Made this tonight! Loved it, the kids(who were dubious about this new thing) enjoyed it and went back for seconds!
That’s a great and healthy dish for the kids!! N x
Absolutely delicious Nagi!!!!
Could you use tinned chickpeas instead of lentils?
Just another super flavoured dish…pairing this with your amazing Vindaloo….big thanks Nagi
OOOOH curry night! Enjoy! N x
Is it necessary to soak yellow split peas overnight?
Just wonderful full of flavour and a very nice addition to have with home made naan breads. Well done Nagi for another excellent recipie. X
This Lentil curry is the absolute bomb .😍😍
THIS WAS DELICIOUS!!! thank you for the recipe. I made it and can not believe how wonderful the flavors are. I have plenty to meal plan for the week. thank you.
Woo hoo Mark!! I am so glad that you enjoyed it!! N x
Dear Nagi. You have inspired me to start cooking again and I have made quite a few of your very enjoyable recipes with success. Thank you.
Indian Dhansak is one of my favourite meals. (the ones I’ve tried making before are either not very good or extremely complicated) So I made your Lentil curry as the base. Used a little more curry powder, chicken stock instead of water plus a couple of lime leaves and curry leaves Wanted to add a bit of sweetness so I added handful of sultanas. Tasted really delicious. Put aside the sauce I didn’t need for this meal and added some big juicy prawns for a few minutes. It was awesome. !!
Can I use olive oil instead of butter?? To make it dairy free
Lisa, your adjustment to this excellent dish, is to be tried for Thursday evening dinner. Taste buds are revved up!
This is amazing!!! I’m blown away at how complex the flavour is, especially considering the minimal ingredients list.
Thank you Nagi!!
I am glad you liked it Brittany!! N x
Hi Nagi, I have prepared this recipe several times and it is amazing. I was wondering if I could add chicken to this recipe. Would you recommend bone-in or boneless chicken? Thank you !
You could add some cooked shredded chicken at the end! N x
Thank you!!
This is one of my favourite go-to recipes on busy nights. It is incredibly easy to make and always a hit, even with the kiddos! I always make a double batch every time.
I am happy that you enjoyed it Simone! N x
Do you think heavy cream will work in place of the coconut milk as I am out at the moment and want to make this recipe today
I think that could work although it will change the flavour slightly. You might want to add it at the end after simmering the lentils so it doesn’t boil too long or split. N x
I have just made it , I used 1.5 cups if brown lentils, soaked it for 6 hours, and used the same amounts of spices indicated for 1 cup of lentils, it was delicious, exotic and really restaurant style, or even better, I made the famous Thailand fish sauce with diced jalapeno, lemon juice and sugar as a side for extra saltiness and fire , couldn’t help myself with a second plate, thanks Nagi for your superior recipes.
OMG cooked this last night, so so easy and so cheap! So much flavour. I am not a great cook so this was so easy to make. Also great for left overs the next day hehe!
I am happy that you liked it Laura! N x
Made this today and it was bloomin lovely. Thanks for sharing ❤
I am happy that you liked it Lisa! N x
Wow, Nagi. Thanks for making me finally give lentils the time of day! The flavour of this curry was delicious and my 2 sorta picky boys BOTH enjoyed it. The 11 year old even willingly had leftovers the next night! I love the simplicity of this recipe, the resulting flavour, and the way the rationale behind it is so clearly exposed. I 100% trust the method after the way Nagi explains it, and quite honesty, I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed by a Recipe Tin dish.. ever!
I am so happy you all liked it Katie! N x
Nagi you’re amazing! Your recipes got me excited about creating meals again, thank you for sharing them with us all.
This recipe is on regular circulation in our house and it’s always a winner 🙂
Incredibly delicious recipe. So good with tandoori bread, naan bread, rice, or even on its own!
Delicious flavor and very easy!