My Favorite Lentil Curry Recipe
I'm not a Vegetarian but this vegetarian lentil curry is easy, tasty, healthy and especially great if you are on a budget!
I love cooking Indian food
I make this vegetarian lentil curry the day before I want it and then the flavours infuse brilliantly with the lentils.
In the lentil curry I use equal amounts of four different types of lentil which I think gives the curry a much nicer texture. I use mung beans, split red lentils, split yellow lentils and green lentils but you can easily substitute any one of them if you don't have them.
The lentil curry recipe should be plenty for 3 to 4 people, and, as an accompaniment to the lentil curry why not try my Easy Mango Chutney Recipe..
This lentil curry recipe is one in my series of 'Healty Vegetarian Recipes'.
Click the links to view the other recipes.Easy, Creamy Eggplant (Aubergine)Curry ♥ Lentil Curry
Potato And Cauliflower Curry ♥ Spicy Leek And Potato Soup ♥ Celery Soup
Contents at a Glance
- Ingredients For My Lentil Curry Recipe
- Equipment You May Need To Make This Vegetarian Indian Lentil Curry Recipe
- How To Cook The Lentil Curry
Ingredients For My Lentil Curry Recipe
My favourite healthy lentil curry has just a few basic ingredients
The Ingredients For Lentil Curry
1/3 cup mung beans, soaked overnight1/3 cup split red lentils, washed
1/3 cup split yellow lentils, washed
1/3 cup green lentils, washed
1 tsp grated ginger
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
2 tbs chopped tomatoes + 1 tbs juice from a tin of tomatoes
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp garam masala (or to taste)
A good handful chopped cilantro (coriander)
Yoghurt or crème fraiche (optional)
You have the ingredients now get ready to make the lentil curry!
Equipment You May Need To Make This Vegetarian Indian Lentil Curry Recipe
The lentil curry recipe is easily made with just a few items of equipment.
- Chopping Mat
- Sharp knife
- Large spoon
- Medium sized saucepan
- Small frying pan
- Mini chopper
The Mini Chopper
The mini chopper is indispensible for chopping smaller amounts of food!
Black & Decker EHC650 2-Speed Food Chopper with 3-Cup Bowl
Amazon Price: $26.77 (as of 11/28/2009)
This lentil curry recipe calls for the onions to be finely chopped.
Well, I dont know about you but my knife skills are not all that great, especially when I cant see through the tears when I am chopping onions! So, this mini chopper is one of my favourite bits of kitchen equipment!
I use this blender almost all of the time when I need to chop things finely! It's fantastic for the onions, chopping them really finely (without the tears!) and also for the chillies as it keeps them away from your hands and prevents little mishaps if you don't wash your hands carefully enough after chopping them!
How To Cook The Lentil Curry
To make this great lentil curry recipe just follow these easy instructions
First of all wash the lentils and put them into the saucepan.Cover the lentils with boiling water to about ½ inch above the lentils.
Bring to the boil and spoon away any 'scum' that rises to the surface.
Season and reduce the heat to a simmer and add the turmeric, stir well and partly cover with a lid and simmer for between 30-40 mins stirring occaisionally and adding more water if necessary.
When the lentils are 'just' cooked turn off the heat and leave them partially covered.
While the lentils are cooking put 2 tsp oil in a small frying pan and fry the onions for about 1 minute before adding the chopped garlic. Fry until lightly golden then, if you have the mini chopper, whizz together the tomatoes and juice and add to the onion and garlic mix together with the ginger and chilli. Fry this until it resembles a dry, shiny paste.
Add the paste and the garam masala to the cooling lentils and stir well.
At this stage I leave the lentil curry until the next day.
It's important that you do not add too much water at first as this might make your lentils go 'mushy' and lose the texture, it is easier to add more water if you need it!
Cooks Tip!
I very rarely chop my garlic! The cloves grate easily and finely using a microplane grater leaving no nasty lumps.
The Microplane
Simply the best in graters!
MICROPLANE FOUR PIECE SHAVER/GRATER SET
Amazon Price: $46.99 (as of 11/28/2009)
These graters will cope with anything you throw at them! They are especially good fo grating things like garlic and ginger which can be a bit difficult to chop! They are EXCELLENT "tools" for the kitchen and do a fantastic job grating, you will only wish that you had got them sooner!
Lentil Curry Is Best If Left Till The Next Day!
I usually make this lentil curry and leave it overnight before finishing it off and eating it, the flavors have time to infuse the lentils and make the curry so yummy!
Finishing off the lentil curry
What to do the next day to finish making your lentil curry.
Gently reheat the lentil curry and roughly chop a handful of fresh cilantro (coriander).
If you prefer your lentil curry to be a little bit creamier add a tablespoon of yoghurt or crème fraiche with most of the cilantro to the hot lentils and stir well then transfer to a warm dish and garnish with the rest of the cilantro and serve straight away with either boiled basmati rice or naan bread.
Vary this lentil curry recipe just by adding an extra ingredient
Make potato lentil curry, eggplant lentil curry or lentil spinach curry.
I have varied this recipe for lentil curry by adding a few small, cooked new potatoes and leaving them in the curry overnight, by griddling baby eggplants (aubergines) and adding them to the lentil curry whilst it is reheating or by adding cooked spinach whilst reheating. All taste fantastic! Lentil Curry And Other Lentil Recipes From Your Favorite Celebrity Chefs
Try more great lentil curry and lentil recipes
Since then I have tried other lentil recipes and really enjoyed them, so, experiment, try out some of the lentil recipes from your favourite chefs until you find the lentil recipe that is perfect for you.
- Anjum Anand - Slightly sweet Bengal gram lentil curry
- A Bengal gram lentil curry by Anjum Anand from Indian Food Made Easy
- Lentil curry
- by Nick Nairn from Ready Steady Cook
- Madhur Jaffrey's daily dal
- Lentil Curry (Dal) By Madhur Jaffrey
- Roasted tomato and red lentil soup by Gordon Ramsay
- This soup is delicious served with a dollop of crème fraîche or yoghurt, and torn basil leaves.
Anjum Anand Makes Spinach And Lentil Curry
Find More Ideas For Great Lentil Recipes
Lots of ideas for lentil recipes
A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes from Grandma Fritzie's Kitchen
Customer Review
This outstanding book deserves at least 10 stars! It rates as one of the best cookbooks I own. The recipes are carefully and beautifully written, as well as delicious. I feel as though Ms. Abadi is standing in my kitchen, by my side, as I prepare each recipe, making sure that it tastes just right. Buy this book, you will be very glad you did.
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 11/27/2009)
Easy Beans: Fast and Delicious Bean, Pea, and Lentil Recipes, Second Edition
Amazon Price: $12.95 (as of 11/27/2009)
Pulses in 60 Ways: Peas, Beans and Lentils: Great Recipe Ideas with a Classic Ingredient
Amazon Price: $11.01 (as of 11/27/2009)
More Easy Beans: Quick and tasty bean, pea and lentil recipes
Amazon Price: $12.95 (as of 11/27/2009)
Beans, Lentil and Tofu Gourmet
Amazon Price: $14.78 (as of 11/27/2009)
People Are Blogging About Lentil Curry
See what others have to say about lentil curry
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- Lentil Curry. INGREDIENTS 1-1/2 cup dried lentils 4 cups vegetable broth 2 cups baby carrots 3 small white or yellow potatoes 1 head cauliflower cut into florets 1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz) 2-3 tablespoon curry powder or to taste (You ...
- Turkey and Lentil Curry - Cooking for Kicks
- We had this for dinner tonight. Serves 4 Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 red onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves,
- Chicken Lentil Curry
- :P My version of this lentil curry was super, uber yummy! So good that my husband asked for it again the following week...the week after...and the week after that! This is a very healthy meal: no added oil, low sodium, lots of veggies ...
- A Crafty Lass: Lentil and Squash Curry
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Need More Lentil Recipes?
Try these lentil recipes from across the blogosphere
- Warm Bulgur & Lentil Salad Recipe
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- Rob's lentil stew « Icrontic Life
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- The Spiced Life: Happy Turkey Day Everyone! Red Lentil Apricot Soup
- Cook for 30-45 minutes, to desired tenderness of lentils (recipe calls for 45 but mine were plenty done at 30). Then add the thyme leaves and, using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Taste and add the cider vinegar, apple cider, ...
- Warm Lentil Salad Recipe for High Fiber Diet: Healthy High Fiber ...
- Lentils are a food high in fiber and a healthy addition to weight-loss programs. They help lower cholesterol, manage blood sugar, and prevent IBS and diverticulosis too.
Lentil Recipes And More From Other Lensmasters
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Lentils Nutritional Information
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Lentils are legumes, seeds of a plant whose botanical name is Lens ensculenta. They grow in pods that contain either one or two lentil seeds. Lentils are classified according to whether they are large or small in size with dozens of varieties of eac...
Vegetarian cookery
Get some fantastic ideas for lentil curry and more healthy vegetarian recipes from these great books.
Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine from South India
Amazon Price: $14.93 (as of 11/28/2009)
Flavors of India: Vegetarian Indian Cuisine
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 11/28/2009)
Cooking Along the Ganges: The Vegetarian Heritage of India
Amazon Price: $23.89 (as of 11/28/2009)
India's Vegetarian Cooking: A Regional Guide
Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 11/28/2009)
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- EverythingMouse EverythingMouse Nov 9, 2009 @ 11:12 am
- I am vegetarian and love using lentils. This looks like a great recipe. Squid Angel Blessings to you
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- Laddoo Laddoo Oct 28, 2009 @ 8:31 am
- Wonderful lens. The layout and content are awesome. Rated and Faved and Lensrolled to my lens on Dal Makhani
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- bluesapphire007 bluesapphire007 Aug 31, 2009 @ 11:54 pm
- wow looks like yummy:D I am ganna try this one :D
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- leahthemoose leahthemoose Aug 20, 2009 @ 11:10 am
- This is a fantastic recipe, I am certainly going to try it! I am such a huge fan of lentil curry since living on 'dal bhat' the staple diet in Nepal for 4 months! I have made an article about my time living with a family in Nepal, with a section called 'Learning to love lentils!', feel free to check it out if you are interested:
My Nepali Family
Thanks!
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Reply
- flighty02 flighty02 Aug 3, 2009 @ 2:52 am
- Thank you so much for the blessing Brenda! I wasn't crazy about lentils either until I made this but they really aren't that bad if you do manage to get up the nerve to try them again :) [in reply to Treasures-By-Brenda]
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