This quick and easy Red Lentil Curry is made with just a few pantry ingredients, such as canned tomatoes, coconut milk, red lentils, and spices. It's a creamy Indian-style one-pot meal that is perfect for a busy weeknight.
As much as I know that the internet doesn't need another Creamy Lentil Curry, I really wanted to share our own version of this popular dish. We've been making this recipe for many years, so we think you should have it too!
This Indian-style curry is very simple to make, which makes it a great meal for a busy weekday evening. Also, it uses mostly pantry ingredients that we normally have around, such as coconut milk, tinned tomatoes, and spices.
We love adding papadums and rice to the dish, and of course, we bring out all our chutneys to the table to keep adding them while we enjoy the curry.
This recipe is a fantastic choice to please the whole family. Our kids love it, so I'm sure yours will, too. You may need to blend it if they prefer a creamier smoother texture, but they will love the flavor! Some of our kid's friends already ask for this recipe when they come over if we made it for them before.
Ingredients
Red lentils. Red lentils are a fantastic ingredient to add protein to your meals without investing too much time. They cook faster than brown lentils and have a very mild and lovely flavor. You can make so many recipes with red lentils such as Red Lentil Tofu or Red Lentil Wraps. This legume is so versatile, so is a pantry staple at home.
Tinned tomatoes. We normally make this recipe with tinned tomatoes, but if we have fresh tomatoes growing in our garden, we use those, too. If you are using fresh tomatoes, make sure they are juicy and sweet.
Coconut milk. For this recipe, we use full-fat coconut milk. You can also use other types of plant-based creams such as oat cream, soy cream, or cashew cream.
Garlic, onion, and ginger. These are the basic three ingredients to start an Indian-style dish.
Vegetable broth. You can also use water.
Spice mix. For our red lentil curry we use garam masala, turmeric, curry powder, cumin, and coriander.
Cooking Method
First, thinly chop the onion and mince the garlic and ginger. Heat some oil in a pan, and sautée the onion, ginger, and garlic until softened and fragrant.
Add all the spices to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring a few times to make sure they don't burn. You can also add a dash of water at this point.
Rinse the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear.
Then add them to the pan along with the vegetable broth, canned tomatoes, and coconut milk. Stir to combine all ingredients.
Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pan. We like using our cast iron pot for this recipe as it helps everything cook evenly without sticking.
Add salt and pepper to taste, garnish with some fresh cilantro, crispy shallots, and a drizzle of lemon or lime juice, and don't forget to add some rice and papadums on the side.
Creamy Red Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 1 onion smal
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 cup red lentils
- 2 cup vegetable broth
- 13,5 oz chopped tomatoes 400 ml
- 13,5 oz coconut milk 400 ml
- Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish (optional)
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime or lemon juice
- Crispy shallots
Instructions
- In a pan, sauté the diced onion, minced ginger, and minced garlic until softened and fragrant.
- Add all the spices to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stir a few times to prevent them burning.
- Rinse the lentils thoroughly, then add them to the pan along with the vegetable broth, canned tomatoes, and coconut milk. Stir to combine all ingredients.
- Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Add salt and pepper according to your taste.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro, crispy shallots or lemon and serve
Notes
- We like serving the curry with some basmati rice and papadums.
Nutrition
FAQ
Yes, it's recommended always to rinse your dry legumes to remove debris and other particles they may contain.
Yes. We add garam masala, which can be a little spicy, but if you get a mild blend like we do, this curry will be great for your little ones.
No, you don't, but you can if you like your curry smooth. We like our curries with some texture, but for example, our kids prefer it when we blend it, so you can enjoy this curry both ways.
Serving Suggestions
After many years of making this dish, we've served it in many different ways; I can even tell you I brought it to the beach recently, as I'm getting tested for food allergies and have a very restrictive diet at the moment, so this was a good option to bring to the beach (even if I got weird looks from my family).
Our favorite way to have this Red Lentil Curry is with basmati rice and papadums. We make our papadums using the microwave, which makes the whole process much easier and cleaner. Also, you can cook the rice while you are preparing the curry.
Looking for something fancier? Make this popular Tawa Pulao, and prepare some Bhajis as an appetizer.
Another way we've enjoyed this meal is with quinoa (I love serving creamy curries with quinoa) or with naan bread. You can, of course, serve it without a side dish for a light lunch or dinner.
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container, and consume in a period of three days.
This curry is also freezable, so you can prepare a big batch and freeze some portions.
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