Red lentil coconut curry is a spicy, creamy and hearty vegan stew with flavors of turmeric, curry and fresh ginger.
I just spent the last 20 minutes trying to figure out what to title this dish. I don't want to be politically incorrect, yet I want it to be clear what this dish is. And after spending most of my morning and a cup of coffee researching the difference between lentil curry and dhal, I finally just went with red lentil coconut curry. Call it OCD or call it being thorough, but don't call me out to dinner and ask me to pick a place. That won't happen! 😉
According to my research, dhal is a lentil soup made with ghee (which is clarified butter). But I have seen other posts and recipes where it is more of a thick lentil stew and the recipe creator still titles it "dhal". Wanting to be culturally correct and not step on any dhal toes, I thought a curry would suit this better. It has several spices, such as turmeric and curry powder and is thickened with coconut milk to help balance the heat. I also topped the lentil curry with spicy roasted cauliflower, which I am currently obsessed with, giving it fabulous abundance and texture.
This is such a glorious and really easy to put together vegan dinner and even my meat-eating husband scarfed it down. Its thick and hearty and we served it with naan bread and spicy mango chutney. If you are not vegan, I suggest adding a scoop of thick Greek yogurt to counter the spicy flavors of the chutney and curry. I loved the flavors of this curry so much that I am actually making another curry tonight with lemongrass and chicken. The combination of spicy curry and cool coconut milk is just so remarkable, I can't think of anything that wouldn't pair perfectly with those flavors.
Method:
1) In a large skillet, saute jalapeno and onion in olive oil until they begin to break down and soften. About 3-4 minutes.
2) Add chopped tomatoes and garlic and continue to saute so the tomatoes begin to soften and garlic lightly caramelizes.
3) Add the spices, turmeric, garam masala and curry and grate in ½ in fresh ginger root. Saute for another minute to cook the spices.
4) Add 1 cup red lentils and quickly stir everything to combine.
5) Then add 2 ½ vegetable stock and ½ cup coconut milk. Stir everything together and allow to cool on low-medium for about 2o minutes. You want to have a gentle simmer.
6)When done, lentils should be soft, thick and liquid absorbed. At this point salt the lentils and taste for seasoning. *Tip- You want to salt the lentils after they are cooked, otherwise you risk toughening them up.
7) To make the cauliflower, cut into florets and place on baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, turmeric, curry and salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until the cauliflower softens and caramelizes.
8) To assemble, serve curry lentils with rice (optional) and top with cauliflower and chopped green onions.
More Great Vegetarian recipes
Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
Lentil Curry
- 1 cup dried red lentils rinsed and picked through
- 1 jalapeno or serrano, chopped
- ½ onion chopped
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ inch ginger root peeled and grated
- 2 ½ cup vegetable stock
- ½ cup coconut milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil for drizzling
Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 cauliflower head cut into florets
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- In a large skillet, saute jalapeno and onion in olive oil until they begin to break down and soften. About 3-4 minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes and garlic and continue to saute so the tomatoes begin to soften and garlic lightly caramelizes.
- Add the spices, turmeric, garam masala and curry and grate in ½ in fresh ginger root. Saute for another minute to cook the spices.
- Add 1 cup red lentils and quickly stir everything to combine.
- Then add 2 ½ vegetable stock and ½ cup coconut milk. Stir everything together and allow to cool on low-medium for about 2o minutes. You want to have a gentle simmer.
- When done, lentils should be soft, thick and liquid absorbed. At this point salt the lentils and taste for seasoning. *Tip- You want to salt the lentils after they are cooked, otherwise you risk toughening them up.
- To make the cauliflower, cut into florets and place on baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, turmeric, curry and salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until the cauliflower softens and caramelizes.
- To assemble, serve curry lentils with rice (optional) and top with cauliflower and chopped green onions.
