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    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian Recipes

    Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower

    Published: Mar 7, 2014 · Modified: Oct 10, 2022 by Samantha Ferraro · This post may contain affiliate links · 23 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Red lentil coconut curry is a spicy, creamy and hearty vegan stew with flavors of turmeric, curry and fresh ginger.

    Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    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.

    Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    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.

    Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    2) Add chopped tomatoes and garlic and continue to saute so the tomatoes begin to soften and garlic lightly caramelizes.

    Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

     

     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.

    Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    4) Add 1 cup red lentils and quickly stir everything to combine.

    Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    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.

    Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    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.

    Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    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.

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    Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    Red Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Cauliflower

    Samantha Ferraro

    LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    Red lentil coconut curry is a spicy, creamy and hearty vegan stew with flavors of turmeric, curry and fresh ginger.
    4.86 from 21 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 273 kcal

    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
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    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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 273kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 15gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.5gSodium: 639mgPotassium: 992mgFiber: 17gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 377IUVitamin C: 78mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 6mg
    Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a comment and 5 star rating!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. JoT says

      December 25, 2016 at 1:48 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious, thank you! I added some green pepper with the tomatoes. Also some cumin seeds roasted with the cauliflower. Worked well I think!

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        December 26, 2016 at 9:55 am

        Sounds fabulous!!! Happy Holidays!

        Reply
    2. Rosemary says

      April 26, 2016 at 7:17 pm

      5 stars
      I made this dish last weekend and just had the last of the leftovers. It was so good from day 1 to day 3. All the flavors I love and easy to make!
      Thank you

      P.S. Hope to meet you in Bellingham, WA!

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        May 01, 2016 at 7:54 am

        Hi Rosemary!!! YAY so happy you liked it!! We just got settled in Bellingham and LOVE it..can't wait to explore a bit!! Would love to meet some locals and get the local "foodie" info too!

        Reply
    3. V says

      October 31, 2015 at 4:54 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this and it is so so delicious! Perfectly balanced. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        November 01, 2015 at 8:54 am

        So glad you liked it!! Thank you for commenting 🙂

        Reply
    4. Lynn says

      April 11, 2015 at 4:14 pm

      5 stars
      This is not the original recipe you put on the web - where are the yellow split peas? Very annoying to save a favourite recipe and when you return to it via a bookmark it has been changed. Please speak to your IT people - very disappointing and completely avoidable.

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        April 12, 2015 at 6:17 pm

        Hi Lynn. The recipe has not changed at all since the original posting date. And there are no yellow split peas, the title and recipe both say "red lentils". perhaps you saved a different recipe?

        Reply
    5. Zoe Perrett says

      June 03, 2014 at 4:04 pm

      5 stars
      Love the roasted cauliflower on top! Looks really hearty. As you mention, dal comes in many, MANY incarnations - you might like this bit I wrote on the topic 😉 http://www.thespicetailor.com/Blog-the-divisive-issue-of-dal-3

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        June 03, 2014 at 4:14 pm

        Zoe, thank you so much for introducing me to your blog! I love, love learning about other cultures and Indian food is one I am minimally educated in but want to learn more! I will certainly be reading your blog to learn more! And thank you for your wonderful comment 🙂 More dal to come!

        Reply
    6. Vicky says

      April 05, 2014 at 11:47 am

      5 stars
      Love the sound of this! I bought way too many bags of lentils at the store last time and only have 4 more days left in Malaysia to cook them all up and this sounds like a perfect recipe to use up some of those lentils : ))

      Reply
    7. Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti says

      March 16, 2014 at 6:56 pm

      5 stars
      I like this flavor combination very much! You are one of my favorite facebook pages to follow 🙂

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        March 17, 2014 at 9:15 am

        Thank you so much Pat! You just made my day!

        Reply
    8. Roz says

      March 16, 2014 at 4:42 pm

      5 stars
      What a wonderful blog; so glad to have you through SS! Next to Italian, I love anything made with curry! I can just smell the incredible aroma of this cauliflower with curry! Pinning, plussing, and now following. Hope to be able to jump into SS soon; I visited my grandson this week so I couldn't post in time. Thanks for this great recipe!
      Roz

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        March 17, 2014 at 9:15 am

        Thank you so much Roz!

        Reply
    9. Angie (@angiesrecipess) says

      March 11, 2014 at 3:56 am

      5 stars
      This is definitely my kind of lunch. Filling, delicious and loaded with protein!

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        March 11, 2014 at 8:49 am

        Hi Angie!! Thank you so much! Aren't lentils so awesome?!!

        Reply
    10. Grace @ FoodFitnessFreshAir says

      March 10, 2014 at 7:36 pm

      5 stars
      Ha, I often have these naming conundrums. I love both Dahl and curry, so I'm sure whatever this is, it's great. It looks fantastic!

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        March 10, 2014 at 7:46 pm

        Thank you so much Grace!! Maybe one day I'll make an authentic dhal lol

        Reply
    11. whatjessicabakednext says

      March 08, 2014 at 1:24 am

      5 stars
      Looks absolutely delicious!

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        March 08, 2014 at 8:59 am

        Thanks so much, Jessica!!

        Reply
    12. cheri says

      March 07, 2014 at 7:26 pm

      5 stars
      This looks really good, and I just picked up some cauliflower from the farmers market on Wednesday. Now I know what to fix. This looks amazing!

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        March 08, 2014 at 8:59 am

        Oh awesome! There's nothing better than roasted cauliflower!!

        Reply

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