Do you need a tasty dish that’s vegan, packed with protein and incredibly delicious? Red Lentil Coconut Curry is one of my favorite lentil recipes and possibly my all-time favorite lentil curry recipe! Rich with coconut milk, full of aromatics and spices, and deeply hearty, there’s a good reason why so many Indian people say this simple recipe is their all-time favorite comfort food meal. Let’s find out more.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Red lentil coconut curry is truly the comforting meal of your dreams. You’ll love my vegan red lentil curry for reasons like:
Red lentils are packed with healthy protein, making this an extra-filling vegetarian meal!
Making a red lentil curry with creamy coconut milk means that it’s even creamier and more delicious!
Coconut milk is much healthier than animal fats like milk and cream.
Vegan, but even the meat-eaters will love it!
Quick-to-make Indian dish, and no need to soak the lentils in advance.
Delicious enough for a dinner party; easy enough for a quick, family-friendly meal.
A great cool-weather meal as the seasons are changing.
Inspiration Behind Red Lentil Coconut Curry
Many people from the Indian subcontinent name daal as their top comfort food, typically a childhood favorite cooked by their mothers or grandmothers. Also known as coconut red lentil daal or red lentil dahl (or even sometimes dhal), my red lentil coconut curry is inspired by one such Indian grandmother.
When I was learning about Indian cooking, I asked her how much garlic and ginger to add to this curry, and she replied, “twice the amount you think you need.” Well, I love garlic and ginger - and I also just love instructions like that! I knew I had to apply her advice immediately and master this jewel of Indian cuisine.
Red Lentil Coconut Curry Ingredient List
To serve
Ingredient Substitutes
If you’re missing any of the above ingredients, you can sub in one of the following:
Variations
If you don’t need the red lentil curry to be vegan, you can make it with regular milk instead. I love it, but some people don't like the flavor of coconut milk.
Experiment with a different combination of curry spices. Try using your favorite medium curry powder.
For a strong curry or hot curry, add more chilis.
For a variation that has a more Thai flavor, don’t use any dried ground spices, but add red curry paste, chopped lemongrass and lime leaves to the mix, and finish with lime juice.
How to Make Red Lentil Coconut Curry Recipe With Easy Cooking Steps
Cooking Tools
Cooking Method
Simmering
Preparation Steps
Cooking Steps
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, and add the onions and carrots with a generous pinch of salt. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened and starting to color at the edges.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and chilis. Stir to combine, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
- Add the lentils and the garam masala. Cook for just 1-2 minutes, until fragrant, then add the canned coconut milk, cherry tomatoes, and a pinch of salt.
- Pour in about 1 cup of water, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and let the curry simmer.
- Cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the lentils are tender. You may need to top up with a little extra water during cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the creamy curry lentils into bowls, add a spoon of plain yogurt, and scatter with cilantro.
- Serve with rice or naan bread.
Alternative Method
Best Tips to Ace This Recipe
Time-Saving Tips
What to Serve with Red Lentil Coconut Curry?
Serve your red lentil coconut curry with rice or naan bread. I particularly like it with brown rice. The flavor combination with brown rice is just magnificent!
I also love to add some sauces or pickles on the side - very Indian! Try one of these out with the red lentil curry:
How To Store Red Lentil Coconut Curry?
Conclusion
Next time you have vegan friends round for dinner, serve them this Red Lentil Coconut Curry! It’ll be a guaranteed success with the vegetarians and meat-eaters too, with its creamy and satisfying flavor. Whether served alone as an hearty dish or as part of an Indian-inspired spread, this recipe is bound to please. Let me know in the comments if you find it as delicious as I do!
More Healthy Vegetarian Indian Recipes
Looking for more healthy vegetarian Indian curries? Try out one of these:
FAQs
You don’t have to soak red lentils before cooking, but you might like to do so to reduce cooking time. And if you’re wondering what happens if you forget to wash red lentils, the answer is nothing much. It’s definitely better to rinse them, but no big problem if you forgot.
Red split lentils cook very quickly, usually becoming tender within 15 minutes or less of cooking with liquid.
No, salt does not stop lentils from cooking. It is a common myth that salted water makes lentils and beans hard, but this has now been comprehensively disproved. Salt added to the cooking liquid is beneficial for flavor and does not affect texture.
Recipe
Red Lentil Coconut Curry With Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 15 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 9 ounces dried red lentils 1 ⅓ cups
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 onions peeled and diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 head of garlic peeled and minced (about 15 cloves garlic)
- 3 2- inch-long fat lengths of fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 3 small hot, red chilis, minced, optionally with seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
To serve
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1 small bunch of fresh cilantro
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- Assemble all the tools and ingredients.
- Peel and dice the onion and carrots.
- Peel and mince the garlic cloves and ginger.
- Finely chop the chilis.
- Rinse the lentils.
- Halve the cherry tomatoes.
- Chop the cilantro sprigs.
Cooking Steps
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, and add the onions and carrots with a generous pinch of salt. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened and starting to color at the edges.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and chilis. Stir to combine, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
- Add the lentils and the garam masala. Cook for just 1-2 minutes, until fragrant, then add the canned coconut milk, cherry tomatoes, and a pinch of salt.
- Pour in about 1 cup of water, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and let the curry simmer.
- Cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the lentils are tender. You may need to top up with a little extra water during cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the creamy curry lentils into bowls, add a spoon of plain yogurt, and scatter with cilantro.
- Serve with rice or naan bread.
Leave a Reply