Curried Red Lentils Recipes

SIMPLE RED LENTIL CURRY

Steps:

• Rinse the red lentils and pick out any dark or discolored pieces. Drain and set the lentils aside.
• In a large skillet or small pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook them for about 5 minutes, stirring them so they don't burn. Next, add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, curry powder, coriander, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir to incorporate all the spices with the tomatoes. Next, add the lentils. The rinsed lentils likely will have hardened into a solid chunk. Use a spatula to break them up in the tomato sauce. Then, add the vegetable broth. Cover the skillet or pot with its lid and bring everything to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low and let the beans simmer for another 17 to 20 minutes until the lentils are fully cooked and tender. After 10 minutes of simmering, stir the lentils to make sure that they don't stick to the bottom of the pot or pan. If the lentil curry looks too solid, add another 1/2 cup of water. Alternatively, if the curry looks too runny, let it simmer uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes. Note that the curry thickens as it cools.
• Stir in the coconut milk and turn off the heat.
• Divide the red lentil curry into bowls and serve with jasmine rice, basmati rice, or brown rice. The curry is great with my scallion pancakes too! Garnish the curry with sliced scallions and chopped peanuts, if you like.

VEGAN RED LENTIL CURRY

Steps:

• Rinse the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear.
• Heat a large, deep skillet or large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the coconut oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the garlic, ginger, fresh turmeric (if using), and Serrano pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent garlic from burning.
• Add the cumin, coriander, chili powder, curry powder, garam masala, salt, and black pepper to taste, and cook for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant, tossing frequently to prevent burning. If using ground turmeric instead of fresh turmeric, add the ground turmeric now, along the the rest of the spices.
• Pour in the vegetable broth, and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add in the lentils and the crushed tomatoes and mix well. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through and have mostly softened. If you find that the lentils are not quite soft after 25 minutes, add a few spoons more of broth or water and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Remove the lid and stir in the coconut milk, almond butter, along with salt and pepper to taste Continue cooking on low heat, uncovered for 5 to 8 minutes, until the curry has thickened and is creamy.
• Finally, stir in the lemon juice and cilantro, and turn off the heat. If you want your lentils to even creamier and more on the puréed side, use an immersion blender to lightly purée the curry.
• Serve the curry with rice and/or Indian flatbread and garnish with additional cilantro. Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.

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.

CURRIED RED LENTILS

Steps:

• Rinse the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear.
• Add lentils and enough water to cover to a saucepan and simmer until the lentils are tender (about 30 minutes).
• Add water if necessary.
• While the lentils are cooking, caramelize the onions in the vegetable oil in a large skillet.
• Combine the curry paste, spices, garlic and ginger in a bowl.
• Mix well.
• When the onions are cooked, add the curry mixture to the pan.
• Cook over a high heat, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes.
• Stir in the tomat puree and reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Cook the curry base until the lentils are ready.
• When the lentils are tender, drain off any exceess water and add the lentils to the curry mixture.
• Combine thoroughly and serve immediately.