Curried Lentils with Coconut Milk
Author Notes: From Julia Turshen's Small Victories, these lentils come together in about 30 minutes, are deeply satisfying, and could be vegan if you leave out the yogurt. Naan is also really nice on the side here.
Re lentils: I like to use a mix of French green lentils and red split lentils. It's faster if you use solely the red split lentils, but I love the texture offered by the French green ones when they're part of the mix. It's completely delicious both ways, so use what you have. Do plan a little bit more ahead if you use the French green lentils — they may take as long as 45 minutes to cook if not longer. —Alexandra Stafford
Serves 4
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot or small onion, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds or ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 cup (180 g) split red lentils or other (see notes above)
- 1 13.5-ounce (398-ml) can full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
- kosher salt
- Cooked basmati rice, plain yogurt, chopped fresh cilantro, and naan for serving
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the ginger, garlic, shallot (or onion), coriander, cumin, and turmeric and cook, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are softened and the spices are very fragrant, about 10 minutes.
- Add the lentils, coconut milk, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt (Note: if you are sensitive to salt or using table salt, start with 1 teaspoon, then add more to taste), then fill the empty coconut-milk can with water and add it to the saucepan. It will look like a lot of liquid, but the lentils will absorb it as they cook. Stir everything together, turn the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to low and let the lentils simmer, stirring now and then, until they’re completely soft, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt. (Note: If you're using those French green lentils, you will need to cook this longer, 30 to 45 minutes. Just keep tasting to see when the lentils are cooked through. You may or may not need to add more water.)
- Serve the lentils hot over rice. Top each serving with a spoonful of yogurt and a sprinkle of cilantro. A side of naan is nice, too.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
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26 days ago ErinM724
Hmmm....I'm not sure how I feel about my first foray into this. I was hoping it would be a bit like Dal Makhni. I used brown lentils, which took about an hour to cook, along with a small amount of red lentils I had leftover. I used 2 tsp of salt, which was way too much for me, and I should have known that. I did add some red chile flakes, some garlic chili sauce and some lime to try to cut the salt, as well as a spoonful of plain yogurt with my portion. It never seemed to be "creamy" to me...maybe it was the brand of coconut milk I used? (Geisha brand....generally use Taste of Thai) Maybe I'll try again some time using the red/green combo, and do some Thai flavors instead by adding some curry paste....
2 months ago Mary Jane Mitchell
So, so good. I also used 3/4 c. of red and 3/4 c. of green lentils and used light coconut milk. My husband can't stop talking about it!
2 months ago CanadaDan
great dish for year round, hot or cold. added 1 tsp of curry powder and a dash of cayenne for heat, which helped i think
3 months ago mbzr
I've made this twice; once with full fat coconut milk and once with reduced fat. Full fat is richer/better, but reduced fat version was tasty too. I added a pinch of red chili flakes (bloomed w/the other spices) for a touch of heat. I used Trader Joe's small green lentils which cook in 15-20 minutes. I didn't have rice the first time, so served over quinoa. Yum! This is a keeper.
3 months ago Sam
I made this dal for dinner and it was delicious, easy, and wholesome. It's a one pot recipe with straight forward ingredients and goes very well with basmati rice, a few cilantro leaves, and a heft dollop of full fat greek yogurt.
3 months ago Dot L.
This was great! I haven't had a kitchen in over a month, we are renovating ours, but this cooked up just fine on my portable burner in the basement. I added some tamarind as well since I had it and some curry leaves that needed using up. Definitely staying in the dinner rotation even when I get my kitchen back.
3 months ago Alexandra Stafford
Yay!! So happy to hear this.
4 months ago Tessa Finn
I've had this recipe saved for some time and tried it last night. I really enjoyed it, but felt it needed some sour so I added tamarind paste. That did the trick
4 months ago Alexandra Stafford
Nice! Tamarind paste sounds great/interesting.
4 months ago Kevin
Left something to be desired, I don't quite know but there is definitely an ingredient missing, it didn't remind me of any curries I've have in restaurants, it smelt great but taste is a bit off
4 months ago Alexandra Stafford
Darn! Sorry to hear this, Kevin.
3 months ago Alexandra Richards
It's fenugreek that is missing and ghee, but overall it's a solid dish.
4 months ago Lisa London
So good and so easy. This will be cooked often in my house.
4 months ago Alexandra Stafford
:)
4 months ago ang w
i was being a bit lazy and did a nod to mujaddara by adding rice to the pot, 1/2 green 1/2 red lentils, ~3/4 c chicken stock for some of the water and added some extra water due to the rice. threw in some carrots. caramelized onions to add to the top at the finish. YUM! took at bit longer to cook and i covered and just kept an eye on it. a keeper "comfort food". i will probably increase the spice level next time as well.
4 months ago Alexandra Stafford
Nice! So happy to hear all of this!
5 months ago mrathmel
I made this yesterday and am eating for lunch today. I followed directions and used lite coconut milk, 1/2 green lentils and 1/2 red lentils. I also decided to try the Thai version and omitted the cumin and used diced Serrano pepper and cilantro stems in the coconut milk. Excellent result! One question, I added the diced pepper to the onion, garlic, ginger and sauteed everything. The "heat" level was a little mild. Should I add the pepper at a different step? I did jazz things up with a little raw diced pepper for lunch, along with cilantro leaves and a dab of plain yogurt. Yum Yum. This recipe is a keeper!
4 months ago Alexandra Stafford
mrathmel — so happy to hear all of this! It's possible that the serrano just wasn't that spicy. Next time, before you sauté the pepper, taste it raw. If it's not so spicy, you may want to include all of the seeds/pith, which will make it spicier.
3 months ago Alexandra Richards
I'm going to try it Thai style next time and add Keffir lime leaf. Smart!
5 months ago caarin
Yumyumyum. Made as written for dinner last night and served over rice with sautéed greens and a runny egg. Perfect Meatless Monday meal. I had French lentils on hand and they were done in about 23 minutes. I think I could have used another 1/2 cup of lentils for the amount of liquid called for. Then there would be more leftovers today. (;
4 months ago Alexandra Stafford
So happy to hear this! Except the part about not enough leftovers :)
5 months ago macfadden
Very tasty and unimpeachably wholesome, definitely a keeper. The combination of red and green lentils gives it good texture. It's not much to look at, but no one minded once they tasted it.
5 months ago Alexandra Stafford
So true — not the prettiest! :)
5 months ago Naomi B.
I have made this multiple times and making it for a dinner party today - it always turns out delicious! I have also made this with 'reduced fat' coconut milk, with great success. I feel like the flavors really come together once you let it sit a few hours.
5 months ago Alexandra Stafford
great to hear this!
6 months ago AnnPagel
I love this dish. FYI: I have found that it's also delicious with light coconut milk.
5 months ago Alexandra Stafford
Nice, great to hear this!
6 months ago Kerry Grisley
Excellent. I used combination of red and green - about 3/4 cup each. I found 1 cup lentils was not enough to attain thickness I wanted. I also started slow on how much salt I added. Served with grilled tandoori chicken and the quinoa, hemp, and green pea salad (on food 52 site).
5 months ago Alexandra Stafford
Oooh, that sounds so good —thanks for the recipe rec!
6 months ago LentilLove
This was SOOOO freakin good. I have been making it once a week for the past few weeks. I use regular brown lentils because I find red lentils to be just mush (though I do love red lentils for other things.) I did tweak a few things. The amount of coconut milk was a little too rich for me, so I reduced it by about half and added more water and more ginger to make up for it. I also put a tiny bit of cayenne in it at the end for an extra kick. For extra vegetable intake, I have been putting kale in it sometimes too. It lasts me a few days and reheats well, I love it. Thank you for this new staple in my rotation!
6 months ago Alexandra Stafford
So happy to hear this! I like the idea of cutting back the coconut milk and adding greens—yum!
7 months ago Minda Chow
Made this as directed with only the split red lentils. It was mushy but there was enough texture and lots of flavor to keep it palatable. Next time will use a combination of lentils for added texture. Will have this over brown rice, sprinkled with cilantro. Thank you for the recipe.
7 months ago Alexandra Stafford
So happy to hear this, Minda! The combination of lentils makes a difference for me. Hope you like it too!
7 months ago Cheryl
Really great! When I first took it off the stove, it didn't have the complex and sweet flavors that occurred after I let it sit for a couple of hours. I used a large onion, red & French green lentils, and vegetable broth instead of water.
7 months ago Cheryl
Also upped the ginger to 1/4 cup.
5 months ago Alexandra Stafford
Nice!
7 months ago Eileen F
This dish had excellent flavors. I used both green and red lentils. Liked the combination of the two lentils. I even went to the trouble of cooking white basmati rice. I always have brown basmati that I mix in with short grain. I will be keeping coconut milk on hand to make this when there is nothing else. Thank you.
7 months ago Alexandra Stafford
So happy to hear this, Eileen!
Showing 38 out of 118 comments