I got really into lentil curries a few years back; I was lucky enough to be working with one of my best friends, who is Pakistani, and every now and then she would bring in her mum’s homemade dal. We would all sit around in the office heating up homemade roti in the microwave and scoffing down the best dal I think I’ve ever had.
So inevitably, I made it my mission to recreate those epic lentil recipes the best I could. I would quiz my friend endlessly about how her mum made it and when I started playing around with the ingredients, I realised that not only are lentil curries delicious…they’re all pretty damn healthy! And even better, can be totally vegan friendly!
You can often use up any fresh veg you have in the house when making lentil curry. I used carrots and celery in this recipe but you could easily include tomatoes, potatoes or anything else that needs using up.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 thumb of ginger, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 red chilli pepper, finely chopped
- 5 scallions, white finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1tbsp tomato paste
- 3 carrots, cut into discs
- 1 cup of red lentils
- 3 cups of vegetable stock
- handful of spinach leaves
- pinch of salt and pepper
- juice of 1/4 lime
- handful of cilantro, finely chopped
Method
- Begin by placing a large saucepan on a medium heat and drizzle in the sesame oil. Then add in the ginger, garlic, scallions, chilli pepper and celery. Leave to fry for around 5 minutes, until the veg has softened slightly.
- Next, add in the curry powder, cumin, chilli powder, carrots, lentils and tomato paste, and stir together until the vegetables are coated in the spices. Then pour into the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Finally, stir in the spinach leaves, squeeze in the lime juice and add any seasoning to taste. Top with a little chopped cilantro to garnish and you're done!
How good is dal? And so underrated. It is one of our go to vegetarian dishes – healthy, filling, tasty and inexpensive to make. This recipe looks fabulous and and love those curry flavors.
Oh my God! You have combined all of my favourite things into one dish. I love lentils – like, really, I do! I don’t think my family goes a week without lentils in some recipe or another. We love them. Almost as much as we love curry. 🙂 Perfection, this one is worth saving!
I absolutely love lentils so this dish sounds really good! I use them in so many recipes just cause I always have a jar of them in my house. Love this recipe also because it is so versatile based on what you have on hand!
We’ve been trying to incorporate more lentils into our diet. I’ve been on the hunt for recipes my family will actually eat. This one is a keeper! Thank you!
This is one of my favorites and takes me back to my childhood.
I love red lentils and my mom made the best Red Lentil curry EVER!! Back then mom would make some form of lentils, legumes or beans every Thursday and we’d so vote for red lentil curry.
This looks delish. I cannot wait to try.
I must admit, I’m not a huge fan of lentils but it’s been a few years since I’ve made them so I absolutely must remedy that with this recipe. It looks so hearty and is packed with tons of flavors I love. Therefore, I’m hoping my palate has turned around and I’ll love lentils because I’ve been seeing so many delicious looking recipes lately that call for them!
Delicious, pretty and healthy? Nevermind it’s someone’s mom’s almost recipe… all good things in my book. This recipe seems like one for passing along to family and friends. Good job!
Big fan of lentils, red lentils, green lentils, black lentils, brown lentils. They are so good protein packed and make a wonderful option for a main dish or a starter.
Dal is looks delicious and inviting! i cook dal almost everyday! It is like i cannot eat my meal without a bowl of dal!! 🙂 As you said, it is pretty easy and damn healthy!!! 🙂
This is comfortfood for me and I have dal everyday. I absolutely love lentils+veggie combination and totally loving your recipe. It looks so easy, healthy and I would totally make a big batch n eat for next 2-3 days.
This is my comfort food and any day I can come home to a big bowl of steaming hot lentil (dal) and rice. I don’t add different vegetables and usually stick with just one. This looks interesting with mixed vegetables and I will try it soon.
I’ve recently started cooking with lentils and love them! I currently have a big bag of green lentils, would it ruin the recipe if I used green instead of red? Looks delicious I can’t wait to try!
Hi Kara.
You can definitely use green lentils – they’re produce a slightly more peppery taste to the dish which will taste great.
Happy cooking! Laura x
Just cooked this last night and it was really really great! My girlfriend and I served it over rice and had some Naan from Trader Joes. That fresh squeeze of lime just brings the entire dish together.
Thanks!
I made the Vegan Red Lentil Curry last night and was SO good. My Mum loved it and that’s saying something, as she was born and brought up in India. Thanks for the recipe.