Indian Lentil Curry Recipes

VEGAN INDIAN CURRY WITH CAULIFLOWER AND LENTILS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over low heat and cook onion, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent about 10 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, and turmeric and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes. Stir in lentils and pour in vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook cauliflower until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir cauliflower, coconut milk, and carrot into the lentil mixture. Bring the curry back to a gentle simmer and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in green beans and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stir 3 tablespoons cilantro and lemon juice into the curry. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon onto a warmed serving dish and garnish with cilantro sprig.

DAL RECIPE (INDIAN RED LENTIL CURRY)

Steps:

• Rinse the lentils well until the water is clear and drain in colander. Tip: If using other yellow lentils instead of red lentils, then soaking in water for about an hour will help.
• In a medium cooking pot take the drained red lentils, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, sliced garlic, turmeric, water and bring it to a boil.
• Lower the heat and cook it for about 30 minutes. Add salt to taste and continue to cook until most lentils start breaking down, become a bit mushy and turn into a thick sauce like consistency.
• Cook the dal until it reaches a consistency that is thinner than what is desired, because it will thicken further after cooking.

LENTIL CURRY - MEGA FLAVOUR LENTIL RECIPE!

Steps:

• Saute onion: Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Slowly cook, stirring every now and then, for 10 minutes until tinged with gold and the onion is sweet.
• Cook off spices: Turn heat up to high, add curry powder and turmeric, stir for 1 1/2 minutes.
• Add everything else: Add remaining ingredients and stir. Bring to simmer, then place lid on and adjust heat to low / medium low so it's simmering gently.
• Simmer: Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove lid and simmer for a further 10 minutes to reduce the sauce. {Note 2 for cook times of other lentils}
• Lentils should be soft, sauce should be thickened and creamy. Too thick, add water. Too thin, simmer with lid off - thickens quickly.
• Coriander: Stir through half the coriander, then taste and add more salt if needed.
• Serve over basmati rice, sprinkled with more coriander and a dollop of yogurt. (Low carb option - cauliflower rice).

RED LENTIL CURRY

Steps:

• Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear. Put lentils in a pot with enough water to cover; bring to a boil, place a cover on the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, adding water during cooking as needed to keep covered, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onions in hot oil until caramelized, about 20 minutes.
• Mix curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger together in a large bowl; stir into the onions. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato puree, remove from heat and stir into the lentils.

DAL (INDIAN LENTIL CURRY)

Steps:

• Soak Lentils: Rinse lentils and leave to soak in plenty of water for 1 hour. Drain in colander.
• Heat ghee/oil in a heavy based saucepan over high heat. Add green chillies and fry for a minute until starting to blister.
• Add onions and fry until softened.
• Lower heat to medium, add garlic, ginger and curry leaves. Cook for 1 minute until garlic starts to turn golden and smells amazing.
• Add tomatoes and cumin, cook until tomatoes start to break down and thicken to a paste - about 2 minutes.
• Add lentils, water, tumeric and salt. Stir, bring to simmer, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour. Stir two or three times during the hour.
• Remove lid and simmer gently for 30 minutes to thicken, stirring every now and then. The dal is ready when it has a consistency like porridge - some lentils should be intact but some have broken down to thicken the sauce.
• Stir through garam masala at the end. Adjust salt if desired.
• Pour over Tadka, if using, and stir through.
• Serve Dal over rice, garnished with a sprig of coriander if desired.

INDIAN LENTIL CURRY WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Combine the lentils, water and turmeric in a pot big enough to hold the spinach.
• Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until the lentils disintegrate, about 40 minutes. Add a bit more water if needed. You are going for a thick puree consistency.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the onion and cook until the edges of the onions start to brown.
• Stir in the green chili and garlic ginger paste and cook until the sputtering stops.
• Add the spice mix and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. This is the critical step. You don't want your spices to burn.
• Add the tomato paste and stir. Turn the heat down and let it simmer 3-4 minutes.
• Stir the tempering into the lentils. Add the salt and taste.
• Mix in the spinach, a bit at a time, letting it wilt into the dal. When all the spinach has been mixed in, cover and let simmer 5 minutes.
• Adjust the salt and serve. You are going to need more. For sure. So creep up on it. Add a bit. Stir. Taste. Add some more. Keep going until you get it where you want it.

LENTIL CURRY RECIPE

Steps:

• Rinse the lentil under cold water and set aside.Heat oi in a large pan/pot. Add chopped onion and sauté over medium heat, until lightly golden, about 5-6 minutes. Add crushed garlic, grated ginger, curry powder, cumin and turmeric. Cook for 1-2 minutes.Add tomato sauce, water, coconut milk, lentils, salt, pepper. Stir well, bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes.Lentils should be soft and the sauce should be creamy. If too thick, add more water, too thin, simmer for 10-15 more (with a lid off).Check the seasoning, if needed add salt/pepper. Turn the heat off add chopped coriander and stir.Serve with rice, naan or as is. Frequently asked questions:WHAT TYPE OF LENTILS ARE THE BEST FOR LENTIL CURRY?In this recipe I used green lentils, but to make the perfect lentil curry you can also use green lentils, red lentils, brown lentils, green lentil or any kind of dried lentils.HOW TO STORE LENTIL CURRY?Lentil curry can be stored, covered, in the fridge, for up to 4-5 days.CAN WE MAKE LENTIL CURRY WITHOUT COCONUT MILK?Yes, you can make lentil curry without coconut cream, but remember, the curry will not be as creamy, the texture and the taste will be totally different. Therefore, I would not recommend skipping coconut milk.MORE RECIPES:Chickpea CurryButter ChickenChicken Meatballs with Coconut CurryQuick and Easy Chicken Curry

INSTANT POT LENTIL CURRY

Steps:

• Rinse and drain the lentils, then set aside. Set the Instant Pot to sauté and add the coconut oil. Once the oil has melted, add 1 tablespoon water, the shallot, ginger, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until very fragrant and the shallot is soft, about 2 minutes. Add the curry powder, coconut sugar, salt, turmeric, and cayenne and stir vigorously. Stand back and try not to breath in any of the steam coming from the pot (it's spicy!). Add the lentils, coconut milk, and 1 cup of water. Stir to coat the lentils completely with the liquid.
• Hit cancel to stop the sauté function, seal the lid, then set to cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes. (It will take about 8 minutes for the pressure to build, then the timer will begin.) Once the timer has stopped, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then vent to release the pressure completely. Open the lid and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. If the curry is too thick, add a bit more water to loosen as needed. Serve hot with rice, sprinkled with cilantro.

INDIAN RED LENTIL DAL CURRY SOUP WITH LEMON, TOMATOES AND SPICES

Steps:

• Wash the red lentils very well and add to the instant pot.
• Also add the chopped onion & tomatoes, garlic and green chilies (if using).
• Also add water, lemon juice salt, butter and spice powders, mix well.
• Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and cook in high pressure for 7 minutes.
• Once the cooking is done, wait for a natural pressure release.
• Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the instant pot, stir the contents.
• Add the heavy cream and stir to combine with the dal curry, garnish with chopped cilantro leaves if desired.
• Serve the easy, delicious red lentil tomato dal curry soup as it is or serve it as a dal curry with cooked rice or chapathi or poori as you like!