CREAMY LENTIL CURRY
This creamy lentil curry doesn’t look the prettiest, but don’t let that put you off. It’s full of flavour, really easy and nourishing. Give it a try!
If you’re looking to cut down on your grocery bill, then this is a great recipe to add to the mix – it’s super economical! It also happens to be vegan – although if you’re not into that, you could easily make it meaty by adding chicken.
As with most curries, the flavour gets even better over time – a big bonus if you have leftovers!
CREAMY LENTIL CURRY
This creamy lentil curry doesn’t look the prettiest, but don’t let that put you off! It’s full of flavour, really easy, economical, nourishing and makes great leftovers.
Ingredients
CURRY
- 1 carrot
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 1/2 Tbsp finely grated ginger
- 400 g canned Indian-flavoured crushed tomatoes (14oz)
- 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp dried coriander
- 2 cups vegetable stock (500ml)
- 2/3 cup dried brown lentils (120g)
- 400 ml can lite coconut milk (14 fl.oz)
- 60 g baby spinach (2.1oz)
TO SERVE
- 2 x 250 g microwave pouches basmati or jasmine rice (2 x 8.8oz)
- Large handful fresh coriander (optional)
Instructions
PREPARE CURRY
Dice carrot into small cubes and crush garlic. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and toast for about 30 seconds. Stir in crushed garlic and ginger and cook for a further minute, until lightly browned.
Add tomatoes, sugar, turmeric and coriander and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in stock and lentils. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and leave to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 30 minutes, remove the lid, increase heat to medium-high and simmer rapidly for 5-10 minutes, until sauce has thickened and lentils are soft. Stir in coconut milk (you may not want to add all of it – start with about two thirds and adjust according to your tastes) and spinach and cook for 2 minutes.
SERVE
Just before curry is ready, microwave rice according to instructions on the packet. Roughly chop coriander. Serve rice topped with curry and a generous sprinkle of coriander.
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH: A Riesling or Rosé.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Use gluten-free stock.
INGREDIENT NOTES / SWAPS: If you can’t find Indian-flavoured crushed tomatoes, use regular crushed tomatoes. You could add some extra veggies to the meal – try diced capsicum, or serve with broccoli or beans on the side.
MAKE IT MEATY: This curry would work well with diced boneless, skinless chicken thighs – try 400g / 14oz. You can use chicken in addition to the lentils and add at the same time as the garlic and ginger (brown for a bit longer – try 5 minutes).
BUDGET / REDUCED PACKAGING OPTION: Cook rice from dried instead of using the microwave pouches.
STORING AND REHEATING: Coriander can be stirred into curry before storing. Keep curry and rice separate and reheat in the microwave.
