This red lentil curry is hearty, creamy, vegan, and simple. It will make you fall in love with Indian spices and the simplicity of preparing food.

Hello again, my readers.

It’s been a while and loads of things changed since my last post.

When I say loads, I mean I swapped my place of living. 🙂

Read more about How To Go Vegan

I’m no longer in the UK but in my stunning home country – Croatia.

I won’t get too deep into my move as this is a food blog not Tina’s dairies but I just wanted to let you know where my meals are being made now. 🙂

Let’s fast forward and discuss this amazing, super simple, nutritious, and hearty red lentil curry.

Curry is one of my go-to dishes, when I want something comforting, one-pot dish but also very nutritious and healthy. I thought I would struggle to find Indian spices in Croatia but luckily I managed to find most of them.

The key ingredients for this red lentil curry are:

• Red lentils -I love red lentils as there is no need to pre-soak them and they cook within only 20 minutes. They give a nice texture to your dish and turn it into a creamy, mushy and very tasty consistency. The benefits of red lentils are – low in calories, rich in iron and folate, and an excellent source of protein

• Coconut cream – to make this red lentil curry more creamy and hearty I used coconut cream. Preferably full fat so we get extra comforting, wintery dish but you can, of course, use a light version of it. In case of an allergy or intolerance, feel free to use soya cream or cashew cream but be aware that will affect the curry’s taste.

• Spices – as a person who had a distaste for Indian spices (I know, I know..don’t judge) I can tell you they are my favourite now. Cumin, coriander, Graham masala, turmeric are one of the most used ones in my kitchen. Besides the health benefits, they make every dish more flavourful and they give the dish that “oomph”.

• Rice/bread of your choice – I usually like to have curry with rice and bread but there are no rules. Delicious vegan naan, pita bread or basmati rice are a great addition to this red lentil curry.

And now, without further ado..let’s cook!

Creamy Red Lentil Curry

Course: Main, Lunch, DinnerCuisine: Indian

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

This vegan red lentil curry is hearty, creamy, and simple. It will make you fall in love with Indian spices and the simplicity of preparing food.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 large onion (chopped)

• 3 garlic cloves (minced)*

• 2cm ginger (minced)**

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1 and 1/2 tbsp curry powder

• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes or cayenne pepper

• 1 cup dry red lentils***

• 500ml vegetable stock (low sodium)

• 1 can chopped tomatoes

• 1 can coconut milk (full fat if possible)****

• a squeeze of lemon juice

• salt and pepper to taste

• Fresh coriander to garnish (optional)

Directions

• Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a large pan.
• Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Saute for about 5-7 min on medium heat.
• Add the spices – turmeric and curry powder. Saute for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
• Now you can add the vegetable stock and rinsed and drained lentils. Combine well, season with salt and pepper and cook covered for about 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, add chopped tomatoes and coconut milk and cook for another 10-15 minutes uncovered. Stir occasionally.
• The curry should thicken up a bit. Now you can add more salt and pepper if needed.
• When the cooking time is up, add fresh coriander if possible, drizzle with some lemon juice, stir well, and leave it to rest before serving.
• Serve with rice, vegan naan or pita bread.
• Enjoy! 🙂

Notes

• *You can use garlic powder but I would highly recommend using fresh minced garlic as it enhances the taste of the curry completely.
• **The same as latter, use fresh ginger if possible. Grate it or mince it so it incorporates well into the dish.
• No need to pre-soak the lentils but rinse well until the water is no longer white but clear.
• In case of coconut intolerance or allergy, feel free to use dairy-free cooking cream or cashew cream.

Let me know in the comments below are you a hater or a lover of Indian curries?