I don’t know how the weather is where you live, but here in New Haven, it’s getting cold. Not that I’m complaining! Last night I got in perfect cold-weather form and whipped up a pot of curried coconut lentils.
I went vegan eight years ago, shortly after moving into a vegan/vegetarian cooperative house. Though I was confident on the baking front, I had always been a little nervous about cooking for a crowd. We took turns cooking dinner in pairs for the house each night, so I had to learn quickly. There were definitely some botched entrees along the way, but in general I caught on pretty fast, and ended up with a handful of go-to recipes. We had shelves of cookbooks, including the heavily used How It All Vegan series. But over the years I lived there, I grew to value our thick copy of Vegan Planet. I’m not sure why this book isn’t more widely loved. I certainly haven’t made a fraction of its 400 recipes, but it boasts several of my favorites, including this curried lentil dish that I made several times when we were low on fresh produce.
This was one of the first dishes I ever cooked that made me feel like I actually enjoyed cooking. It’s incredibly simple, and doesn’t require anything you aren’t likely to have on hand. The spices are present, but they aren’t overpowering, so it’s a sure crowd-pleaser, especially if you have picky eaters around. It’s also super easy to triple or quadruple, which is what I always did in my co-op. Eat as is or served over rice.
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1″ fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 3 c water
- 1¼ c brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
- 2 medium-sized carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into thin half-moons
- ¾ c green peas
- ¾ c coconut milk
- ½ c unsweetened shredded coconut
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- In a food processor, puree the onion, garlic, and ginger.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat.
- Add the onion puree, cover, and cook about five minutes to mellow the flavor, stirring a few times.
- Add the spices and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Add the water and lentils, cover, and and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer 10 minutes, then add carrots. Cook, covered, another 20-30 minutes, until lentils and carrots are tender.
- Add the peas, coconut milk, coconut, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer another 10 minutes to incorporate flavors. Scoop yourself a big, warm bowl of these lentils and get cozy.
23 comments
Michelle says:
Oct 25, 2012
The onion puree is genius. I’m going to give that a shot in the next curry I make. So warm and comforting!
Abby Bean says:
Oct 25, 2012
You’re absolutely right. I HAVE Vegan Planet and rarely use it- probably because its sheer contents is so imposing? This dish looks great; I’ll have to remedy that.
s says:
Nov 3, 2012
Just made this today. Soooo tasty! Potatoes are a good add-in
S says:
Nov 4, 2012
I can’t believe how easy and tasty this is! I’m going to make this so often now
Kelly says:
Nov 28, 2012
I think I will try this but instead of coconut milk I will use unsweetened almond milk. I find coconut milk is a bit heavy for my taste but overall this looks absolutely great from a taste and long-term health point of view. Thanks for sharing
claryn says:
Dec 2, 2012
I’ve definitely done it that way when I haven’t had coconut milk on hand. Obviously it ends up a little different/less creamy, but it’s still delicious!
Curried Coconut Lentils: Today's Meatless Monday Meal says:
Feb 4, 2013
[…] Recipe from Hell Yeah It's Vegan. […]
Heather says:
Apr 7, 2013
This was really good. I used lima beans instead of peas, because it’s all I had on hand. Turned out wonderfully!
claryn says:
Apr 28, 2013
Sounds great! We’re probably in the minority here, but I love a lima bean 😉
Coralee says:
Apr 16, 2013
Oh man. I have made this curry WAY too many times since discovering this recipe. Seriously the yummiest simple curry I’ve ever made. I like to use the same array of spices in other dishes too. It’s honestly perfect. 5/5
claryn says:
Apr 28, 2013
Aw! Glad to hear it, Coralee 🙂
Stacey says:
Apr 20, 2013
Sounds lovely! Trying this tonight with some home-made vegetable kofta and brown rice for my toddler.
Cynthia says:
May 16, 2013
Omg! This was yummy to the nth degree! I added golden raisins and sweet potato, but otherwise followed the recipe..sooo good! This is my new favorite! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Heather says:
Jul 25, 2013
we are addicted to this in my house! I leave out the cayenne because I am breastfeeding but it doesn’t take.away from the flavor at all. Thanks for this fabulous recipe!
Heather says:
Nov 1, 2013
Would green lentils work in place of brown?
claryn says:
Nov 3, 2013
Yep, that should be fine!
Heather says:
Jan 2, 2014
@heather from Nov. 1 I have made this a lot. My 6 year old wants this EVERY week. I have done it with green and it works but then lentils but they didn’t get as soft. My family all did not like the change so I am sticking with the brown. If you like your beans with more texture then green is good.
From Heather July 25
claryn says:
Jan 3, 2014
Thanks for the tip, Heather!
Denise says:
Mar 17, 2014
I finally made this – It. Is. Yummy.
Thank you!
Marie says:
Jul 6, 2014
We’re really low on food right now, and this made a delicious and hearty meal. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, but you could probably make even more changes than I did and it would still be great.
Maris Rose says:
May 26, 2015
Amazing taste and texture and did I mention the heat factor… the peas and coconut so good. Thank you <3
claryn says:
May 28, 2015
So glad you enjoyed it, Maris! 🙂
Joe says:
Sep 23, 2016
I just have a question about the amount of ginger. Does the recipe call for 1 inch of fresh ginger or what is the measurement of ginger? thank you