Sometimes you want to make a recipe so badly that you dream about it. This is one of those recipes.
It may be their vibrant golden color, but I just couldn’t wait to cook up these lentils and put them on every bowl and salad from here to eternity.
And oh my did they deliver. Let’s do this!
What is Curry Powder?
Curry powder is not a common ingredient used in traditional Indian cooking, but rather an invention of the British to evoke the flavors of Indian cuisine. The term “curry” in Indian cooking refers to a sauce or gravy served with vegetables or meat. (source)
How to Make Coconut Curried Golden Lentils
This dish comes together in about 20 minutes from start to finish, thanks to the quick cooking time of yellow lentils (which I’ve found to be very similar in texture and cooking time to red lentils).
While you give your lentils a quick boil, prepare a coconut curry sauce with spices, ginger, garlic, and a healthy dose of coconut milk (check out my DIY Coconut Milk recipe).
Once the sauce is seasoned, add your lentils and stir. Finish with a bit more seasonings and some fresh lemon juice and “POW” – you have beautiful curried golden lentils!
Since creating this recipe, we’ve learned that this dish is similar to a staple Sri Lankan dish called Parippu made with red lentils, coconut milk, and spices. How fun!
Friends, I hope you LOVE these lentils. They’re:
Savory
Saucy
Perfectly spiced
Aromatic
Coconutty
Hearty + Satisfying
& Seriously delicious
These curried lentils would be delicious atop rice, cauliflower rice, salads, bowls, and more. I could also see them being a delicious part of a wrap or sandwich.
And while delicious on their own, I think these would pair incredibly well with my Sweet Potato Cauliflower Curry, Avocado Sweet Potato Green Salad, Curried Butternut Squash Soup, Curried Beet Soup with Chickpeas, and our Vegan Naan.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Coconut Curried Golden Lentils (20 Minutes!)
Ingredients
LENTILS
- 4 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups golden (yellow) lentils* (rinsed and drained // or sub red with similar cook time or green with longer cooking time)
COCONUT CURRY SAUCE
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil (or water)
- 1 small shallot (diced // optional)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced // ~2 Tbsp as original recipe is written)
- 2-3 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 heaping Tbsp curry powder (DIY or store-bought)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (for heat – omit if you don’t like spice)
- 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups light coconut milk (DIY or store-bought canned)
- 1-2 Tbsp coconut sugar or maple syrup (plus more to taste // or sub stevia)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Note: Soaking lentils is optional but can improve digestibility and speed cook time. See notes for tips.Bring water to a boil in a large pot or saucepan. Add lentils and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook lentils uncovered for 4-5 minutes or until just tender. Then drain and set aside. Be careful not to overcook or they can become mushy (cooking time will vary by variety of lentil – check package for instructions).
- In the meantime, heat a large rimmed skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil or water, shallot (optional), garlic, and ginger (start with lesser quantity, and add more to taste as desired). Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add salt, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne and cook for 1 minute more. Lower heat to low.
- Add coconut milk and coconut sugar (or maple syrup) and stir to combine. Cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes to combine the flavors (see photo).
- Add the (well) drained, cooked lentils (see photo) to the coconut sauce and stir. They will likely need more seasoning at this point. I added a bit more salt, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne, and coconut sugar because I like big flavor. But season to taste.
- Turn off heat, add lemon juice, and stir. Then serve and enjoy! These are delicious on their own, but they would also be tasty with rice, cauliflower rice, steamed or roasted vegetables, and more.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amounts of coconut milk and coconut sugar.
*Method adapted from the talented Sprouted Kitchen.
Michelle says
I made this with mung beans and instead of water I used vegetable broth. This recipe is very good that is the only change I would make to it. Use broth instead! It’s well worth it.
Thanks for sharing your recipe changes, Michelle! We are glad you enjoyed it!
Vicki says
This was very delicious. I did make a side of rice to go with it. It also made enough to have a delicious leftover lunch, which reheated well. When I make it next time, I think I will let the lentils boil for closer to 8-10 minutes– they were a tad firm, but otherwise this dish was amazing!
Alicia S. says
Super easy. Added so much ginger and worried it would be too much but it was delish. My two toddlers loved it too.
Woot woot!
Sophie says
So quick and easy. I used almond milk and a can of lentils and the meal was so delish! I did however need to use cornstarch to thicekn up the almond milk though. I paired it with jasmine rice, sweet potato + herbs and soy sauce bok choy (It was leftover night!) Thanks for a yummy meal!
Megan says
Very hearty and great flavour, one of my favourites!
Libby says
Super simple & delicious!
Stephanie B says
Being a pretty new part-time vegan I had been looking for recipes to make (especially when busy). I’ve now made this twice (once with light coconut milk and once with regular) and it’s so delicious I’ve been trying to get other people to try the recipe. I’m really tempted to make it again already but know I need more variety.
Heather says
OMG literally to die for!! I have never been good at making curries before, but this is soooo amazing! I loved it so much I decided I had to leave a comment even though I never do. SO SO SO tasty! I am so glad I made it for our meal prep lunch for the week and that I get to enjoy this everyday of the week. LOVE IT!
Kim says
So delicious and easy. I love the layers of flavor in these lentils.
Laura says
I used red lentils as I had these on hand but didn’t precook then. Instead I added the lentils after the spices, sautéed them for one or two minutes and then added some vegetable brooth together with the coconut milk. I let everything cook until the lentils were tender, adding more brooth as needed. It didn’t turn out as creamy as I hoped so I used some tapioca starch for binding. It was perfect.
I omitted the sugar as I didn’t find it necessary.
Thanks for sharing! It sure wasn’t the last time I made this.
yulca says
Made these yesterday, used red lentils, added broccoli for additional color and texture, served over quinoa – sooooooooooooo good! Looking forward to reheating the rest today :).
Ammy says
what GF lentils do you recommend?
We use these ones.
Hannah says
I was craving a curry dish so I whipped this up in NO time and it was great. Quick, easy, simple, but full of flavor. Thanks for the recipe!
Susie says
Sooooooo good, can’t stop eating it! Very easy to make and adjust flavour to preference. 5 stars!
Jade says
Recently vegan and cooking this for my family tonight. We love curries so hoping it is a hit. Serving with rice and leafy greens.
Can’t wait to taste it!
Thanks for the free ebook too!
Allison says
I made this tonight for dinner with some brown rice on the side. It was phenomenal and so flavorful
Alex says
Súper easy and delicious!! Love it ?
Cece says
Soooo delicious! I made to go with another MB dish & have a lot leftover. Will enjoy looking for places to use them!
Suggestions? DM me : IG @threechickpeas
TERRY says
This recipe is wonderful!! I followed the recipe almost to a T and it’s quick, easy and just fantastic!! We like our food SPICY!! So I totally went for it with the spices. I used what was called for, then used the same spices for the lentils before I added them in, then added the same spices again after everything was combined. I used a lot of curry, a lot of cayenne and definitely got the desired result. I did use coconut oil. I did use full fat coconut milk. I did add “pure” maple syrup (good!). I did not have a shallot, but diced up a little bit of onion, as that’s all I had, just a tiny piece. I did add some chopped fresh broccoli and that was a good addition. Next time I will add onion and carrot and spinach (I was out of all 3). We don’t have lemons where I am, so I used a little bit of fresh mandarino juice (somewhere between lemon and lime).
I will make this again and again. THANK YOU!
One comment regarding lentils. I thought I had golden lentils in the cupboard. When I looked, I couldn’t decide what I had. They were sort of beige/light brown with some pinky ones in there and some maybe green ones in there. I looked online and saw photos of what I had, but they were not identified, but I did determine they were not yellow/golden, they were not red, nor green. I had the smaller red lentils on hand as well, so I used those. Just an EXCELLENT recipe!
JAJO says
this looks good but I like a bit of crunch to go along with a recipe like this. what would you suggest?
Venetia says
Fabulous! So simple to make. I can see this as a side for any number of dishes, but to be honest I ate 2 bowls straight up with nothing else ;) I had to use ginger paste from a tube as I was out of fresh (disappointing), and I used red lentils with the same cooking time. I am from Quebec and loooove maple syrup, but I don’t think it is a good match with coconut milk, so I used brown sugar instead. Also used full fat coconut milk as it was all I had, but next time I will use a light version to cut down on the fat. Looked exactly like the photos. The lemon was a key ingredient, really brightening it up at the end. Don’t skip it! Thank you very much MB for this delicious recipe! It’s a keeper :)
MrsE says
I didn’t have time to read through all of the comments but wouldn’t you be able to make this in reverse? That is saute the vegetables and curry powder and then add the lentils and water and cook? I would like to make this but it makes sense to do it in one pot if possible please advise as to why you chose to do it this way?
Amy G says
Added to my above…the second time I made it I initially forgot the lemon…I added it after and what a POW of brightening to the flavors!
Amy G says
Wow…first time I made it I thought I had died and gone to heaven- was gone in a short time! Second time I used what looked like golden lentils, but needed more cooking time. I added sauteed shitake shrooms & onions, doubled the spices and put in a large bag of baby spinach. I served it over white rice which is why I doubled the spices. So delish! It freezes and thaws like a champ! (its a little mushier after freezing, but to be honest, I liked it better that way. 5 stars and putting it into the regular rotation! Minimalist Baker…you are my hero! Love your site and what you do!
Chrissy says
Grew up in a very typical meat and potatoes kind of family so I never tried curry until I decided to make this one. OM goodness!! So much flavor! And so quick to make. Yum yum yum. Will become a staple in my household. Love it!
Emily Boswell says
Should we use sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk? I use sweetened and like it but my husband is saying it’s too sweet.
unsweetened!
Stephanie says
Who knew!? Lemon juice in a curry. What a fancy, flavorful touch! I never would have guessed to add lemon juice, so I was blown away by how it just brightened everything up and tied it all together. Thank you for the recipe! It was delightful, easy and I’ll be adding lemon juice to everything now haha. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed, Stephanie!
Drew says
I made this tonight and it was earthy, warm, and simply divine. I used green lentils instead of golden lentils, so I bumped up the cooking time by about 5 minutes. As suggested, I added a bit more curry powder, salt, coconut sugar and cayenne pepper and it deepened the flavors even more. I’d definitely make this again!
Sarah says
I’ve been thinking about making these for a week and today was the day! So delicious and so easy. I used red lentils and shortened the cooking time by just a few minutes. Thanks! Love your blog and appreciate your work.
Sarah
Mimi says
Omg these lentils are delicious! I make this once a week now and keep them for lunch. I have had lentils in my kitchen cupboard for years because I love them but never use them. Now I can barely keep them stocked! I have been making them with sweet potatoes and kale or over rice. Great job, Dana!
lizbee says
I had the same problem a few reviewers had – horrible bitter aftertaste. I subbed split red lentils…wonder if that’s the issue? The bitterness is almost a spiciness, but I hadn’t added any cayenne yet. Puzzling. But I can’t seem to fix it by adding other stuff. I’ll try again with yellow lentils when I have them and see if I get better results.
Kelsey says
Holy cow! I was blown away with this recipe. So so delicious, as is everything I’ve made since following you!!! I used red lentils that I had on hand and cooked them for just as long as you recommended. You had also mentioned using stevia in replacement of coconut sugar or maple syrup (I had truvia) and used that as my sweetener to cut back on the overall sugar content, and it was divine. I want to bathe in this, or maybe add some more coconut milk and make it a soup?
Thanks again!
Hi Kelsey! I think you could add some more coconut milk to make it a soup, but wouldn’t recommend bathing in it ;) Glad you enjoyed it!
Imani says
How could you do this in a crock pot?
Rhiannon says
Suuuper delicious! I’ve made this a few times and love it. My boyfriend, who dislikes lentils, even ate it and said it was good. xD
I used red lentils as golden weren’t available and it was amazing. And I love how easy it is to make. (:
Rhiannon says
Oops, forgot to rate it!
Nicola says
Made this tonight and both my husband and I loved it. I used red lentils (as I couldn’t find yellow) and served with quinoa and green beans – a bit unorthodox, I know! Will definitely be making this again, I think it’ll be really nice served with brown rice and broccoli next time :)
Navely says
My sister and i loved this recipe. I accidentally added more cayenne pepper and it was delicious. Thank you minimalist baker you are my go-to after changing my diet to plant-based.
Sada Spaidal says
So easy my boyfriend was able to make it! And it was VERY good. Seems like a good recipe to play around with (adding different types of veggies, using chick peas instead of lentils, etc…). Will definitely be making this again!!
Geralyn Moore says
Another amazing dish! Maybe my favorite so far ;)
Cristal says
Made this recipe tonight! DELICIOUS! Didn’t have turmeric so just added extra curry powder, and added 2 cups of coconut milk instead of 1 1/2.
For how long could I store this in the fridge?
Hi Cristal! It should last about 3-5 days in the fridge!
Lea says
Made this twice already since discovering it last week.
Quick, healthy and DELICIOUS!
Melanie says
I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago and it was amazing! So flavourful! I used red lentils since I couldn’t find yellow at the store and I added red pepper and zucchini. I’ll be making this again tonight!
Kat says
Looks so good! I’m currently trying to avoid adding sugar to my meals. Is there something you’d recommend to replace the sugar/syrup or do you think that omitting the sweetener would throw the recipe off?
Kelsey says
Truvia!
Omega says
Hello,
I looooooove your site. And have made so many of your recipes, so THANK YOU for all!!
Question …. I’ve made this meal several times with yellow lentils. They always take at least 30 minutes to soften. What kind of lentils are you using that take 5 minutes?
Melisa says
Best recipe I’ve tried from you yet and I’ve cooked many of them. They are all amazing but this curry is my favorite! SO easy but so tasty!
Lisa says
Yet another amazing recipe! Five weeks as a vegan and your blog is my go to for inspiration and fantastic recipes that always turn out tasting and looking great. THANKS!
Monica says
So good. Was skeptical of the lemon juice, but it actually is perfect in this recipe.
Maria says
I just made this with rice and it turned out amazing! I took a shortcut and threw the lentils (I had red ones) in with the coconut milk and some extra water without cooking them first and tossed in some frozen kale too, and it worked perfectly. I’ll definitely make this again and I can’t wait to have some for lunch tomorrow, it’s so flavorful! Thank you!
Diane says
I made this today and I love it! I did find I had a bit too many lentils so I didn’t add them all in. Will def make this again!
julie says
Sooooo good, seriously amazing. I will for sure put this on repeat.
Adrienne says
I made this tonight! First curry I’ve ever made. I used fresh turmeric instead of ground, scaled back the curry powder and did not add shallots or garlic since my wife can’t eat those foods. I also did not add all of the lentils – just gradually added until it was to our desired thickness. It was pretty much on point! I just read a comment above about using garam masala which I think we would like! I’m excited to have a base curry recipe I can adjust to use what we have on hand! My best advice is to add ingredients a bit at a time and taste along the way. We ate almost all of it! My wife had cauliflower rice and I had white rice – the cauliflower rice was best for flavor since our curry was less intense by chioce. Yum!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Amanda West says
Yummy! I just made this for lunch because I was lucky enough to already have all the ingredients. It’s so delicious. Thanks for sharing this!
Katie says
Made this tonight and it was very tasty! Lots of flavor, definitely include the shallot if you’re able to. Tossed in some thawed and squeezed frozen spinach at the end to get an extra boost of veggies and served with homemade naan. Question: how will this freeze? I portioned into mason jars and would love to toss one or two away for later if feasible.
Hi Katie! We haven’t tried it, but if you do let us know how it turns out!
Katie says
I can report it was a success!
carmel maher says
Just made it exactly as posted. Just ate it. Mmmmmm. Served with sauteed kale cottage cheese and roasted chicken. I want to eat it all over again and I’m a real foodie. Bet it will be even better tomorrow. I skipped the cayenne in the cooking and put red pepper flakes on the table so everyone could add their own. The kale was really nice with it because of the different texture. I almost turned the lentils to mush. Will keep a better eye on them next time. Man they cook quickly!
Bekah says
Ok… i’m really new to lentils. I still need to soak my yellow lentils prior to this recipe, correct?
Hi Bekah! No need to soak the lentils, just rinse and drain them! Then follow step 1!
Lydia says
I made this tonight and it was so good! Very easy to make and actually came together in under 30 minutes which is impressive for me… I’m a bit of a slow cook. :P
For a colourful, tasty, nutritious addition, I threw in some spinach in the last couple minutes of cooking. Ten out of ten, would make again! Thanks :)
Nora says
Definitely the best curry I’ve ever made. Eternally grateful that I exist at the same time as you guys, life is certainly a lot more delicious!
Danielle says
I threw this together last night, it came together so quickly and it was very delicious!! Thanks for another great dish, Dana!
Natalie says
Just made this. QUICK, EASY, and AMAZING! I just moved to China so it’s hard to find a lot of the same ingredients that I cooked with back home. Thank you for making it easier for me by including simple/less ingredients :) Being vegan in China is HARD.
Maura says
This is super delicious. I used red lentils because that’s what I had and I used some chipotle powder for smokiness and heat and that was really good. Boyfriend is not super into eating meatless meals so I just added some protein on the side and ate it with naan – highly recommended!
Layla Ali says
i mad this but with buck-wheat ooo yummyy, im a 14 year old vegan and its my 4th month being vegan your recipies save my life! <3
Denise says
Made this and it tasted great ! Will definitely make again. The only extra was a big handful of chopped parsley.
Debbie says
Wow, I made tonight and this is SO good! I added extra cayenne pepper as I love spicy. I paired with coconut curried greens which is also SO good. I used veggie broth since I did the beans in coconut milk. I paired with rice, potatoes, red and yellow peppers, sesame leaves, and chicken. Put this all in a bowl. Thanks for the recipes as I love to cook but normally don’t respond but it was so yummy I had too.
Thanks and have a fantastic weekend.
Bene says
Hello Dana,
I have never commented on blogs, but I had to write you. WOW.
I have tried a few of your recipes, and they are just simply marvelous!! Just made your Coconut curried golden lentils, and it was so so so good. The best lentil dish I have ever tried. *in love with it.
thank you so much for sharing your recipes, and the way you write, present and describe the food is just lovely.
Christine says
I used red lentils and it came out great!! Paired it with the roasted vegetable recipe, perfect!!!!
Love all of your recipes! I feed them to non-vegetarians all the time to show them they’re not missing out on anything by giving up meat!
Devan says
Excellent recipe! I will be making again. SO FLAVOURFUL!
Amelie says
This is absolutely scrumptious! We added carrots and green beans in as well for extra veg.
Kristin Baker says
Incredible medley of flavors. You always outdo yourself with each recipe I make! Thank you Dana. :)
Marubi says
Delicious!! Didn’t change a thing, except add a bit more coconut milk as that was the size of the can (400ml). It was actually the perfect amount for a lovely creamy sauce. Will make again! :D
Emily says
Soo good!! I put more cayenne because I like a lot of heat. I also added raisins and peas. Served with roasted veg and rice. Will definitely be making this again!
SARA says
Excellent recipe! I made these for lunch today, though I subbed garam masala for the curry powder since I didn’t have any on hand. They are absolutely delicious.
Sarah | Well and Full says
This might be kinda weird, but sometimes when I’m feeling down about blogging / recipe developing, I come to MB and look at all your awesome recipe ideas. Even just looking at these sunny pictures of golden lentils feeds my spirit!!
Ugh, you’re the best. So kind lady! xoxo
Anne Birchmeier says
5 ⭐️ I made this last night , it was amazing!!
I’ve made several lentil curries and this was the best recipe. Loved the addition of a little coconut sugar and lemon. This dish was earthy, warming , a little heat with a little sweet and creamy yumminess. Thank you Dana you recipes are so healthy for my body and soul.
Whoop! So glad you enjoyed these! xo
Sierra says
Delicious! Another keeper!
I used split red lentils from tj’s cooked for 12 minutes. Served over basmati rice with oven roasted sweet potato, potato, cauliflower and mushrooms. Also a some steamed spinach and TJ’s frozen garlic naan, yum!
PERFECT! yay! Thanks for sharing! xo
Hanusia says
Great recipe! I just made this for some meal prep for the week and OMG, the flavors are so lovely!! The fresh ginger and turmeric really takes it up a notch- I can’t wait to be eating this dish for lunches this week. It was also so quick and easy to prepare- gotta love red lentils :)
Whoop! Thanks Hanusia! xo
Melissa Page Boeshans says
Made this tonight for dinner. Used several types of curry including hot and sweet curry powder. Added carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes diced and cauliflower. It was absolutely amazing!
Lovely! Thanks Melissa!
Meirah says
Can I use yellow split peas?
I think that should work!
Mercy Chang says
Anyone used canned lentils for this recipe or not suggested?
If you want you can try it! Let me know how it goes.
Tamara says
I just discover your website and there are so many yummy recipe I can wait to try. Especially this one as I love golden lentils but I am not always sure how to cook them :)
Sabrina Stavenjord says
Oh my goodness. I absolutely love lentils, coconut and curry so this sounds absolutely amazing to me! I cant wait to try it! :) Thank you so sharing.
Sabrina
Emily says
Really quick and tasty. I added the slightly undercooked lentils to the spiced coconut broth and cooked them in it for a bit longer to absorb the flavours. Served without quinoa, spinach and black beans, delicious!
Lovely, thanks Emily!
Julia says
This looks delicious and I’m looking forward to trying it. Just 2 questions: 1. what can I sub for the coconut sugar or stevia? I don’t have either. (Should I have coconut sugar in the house?) . 2. How would this be with roasted chicken thighs or grilled chicken thighs? Would I need a sauce? Oops, that’s more than 2 questions, but thanks for sharing your awesome recipes!
You could use any sweetener really. Not sure how it would do with chicken!
Sandra J. says
I made this last night with roasted veggies and spinach as a bowl. I followed the recipe almost exactly, except that I used red lentils since I had them on hand and didn’t use any sweetener (which I rarely find necessary). It was SO easy and really, really yummy! Thanks!
Yay! Thanks Sandra!
Janine says
Made this and it’s super!!!!!! Served with roasted curry cauliflower and baked sweet potato as well as naan. Thank you. Will definitely make again.
Thanks Janine! xo
Johanna says
Those lentils are only yellow at the end of cooking time but are almost pink before, but generally we call those red lentils, right? And I’m so going to make this this week!
I think red lentils would work! They have a similar cooking time and texture to yellow. Green will take longer to cook.
Ilana says
I used red lentils with this recipe. The texture was totally different than it looked in the photos. It was much more liquidy, like a particularly soupy daal. It’s possible this is due to using red lentils (I also suspect my cooking-novice boyfriend may have used too much water and cooked the lentil for too long). That being said, it tasted ~*amazing*~. I will definitely be making it again- just with less water while boiling the lentils. less coconut milk, and a more supervised cooking time for the lentils.
Sisse says
Why light coconut milk and not full fat? :)
I just prefer the texture of light. But full fat would work well, too!
Eileen says
I made these tonight, they are absolutely delicious. I’m obsessed. Do you have any recommendations on what to serve or pair it with?
Yes! Actually I have a bowl application coming later in the week!
Anna says
This was delicious and SO easy! Using all ingredients that we have on hand anyway. We used red lentils and paired it with some green beans. I’ll have it for lunch tomorrow with brown rice and greens.
Thanks, Anna! xo
Kaci says
Was so excited to make and went to try a bit of sauce and it was amazing… and than bad! The turmeric has this strong bitter flavor that bites and takes away any good flavor. I had to triple everything to even it out.
Is that normal? I just bought the turmeric today so it couldn’t be rancid?
Hmm, that’s odd. Perhaps your turmeric powder was a bit stronger than mine? Unlikely but possible. Perhaps next time try scaling the turmeric back to 1/4 or 1/2 tsp at first and gradually building up!
Maura says
Turmeric shouldn’t be bitter. Is there a chance you burned the garlic? I sauteed just the shallot and ginger together for a couple minutes before putting the garlic in the pan, just to be sure it wouldn’t burn.
Weston says
Kaci,
I also ended up with terribly bitter lentils. Also, the ginger overpowers everything in my dish, even with extra curry powder and turmeric. I think the problem is the ginger. I’ve had one other recipe that came out similarly bitter and it was a carrot ginger soup with a TON of ginger. Perhaps I burned both dishes in the exact same way, but it would be odd that I’ve only had this issue with large amounts of ginger.
I still love your recipes, Dana, but this one didn’t work for me.
Rachel says
I also had lentils with a weird aftertaste. Kind of bitter/sour, and bland. I added more curry powder, salt, and cayenne, as suggested, and the flavor profile was better, but still with an unpleasant aftertaste. Definitely won’t make this again.
lizbee says
Same here. I wonder why there’s a consistent theme of failure for a few of us, Weird! Maybe some packaged curry powders have something in them that causes bitterness?
Melissa Page Boeshans says
The picture I got in my email of this recipe looks like roasted vegetables …Not sure if the pictures got mixed up, but I want that recipe too! Looked on your site for it, but can’t find it. Is it roasted veggies? Looks amazing! I want to make it with the curry lentils…
Thanks!
Yes, that was our error! That recipe is coming soon. xoxo!
Melissa Page Boeshans says
Yay!! Thank You!
Amber says
Made this tonight for dinner…super easy and delicious! I added a little extra cayenne after tasting, and mixed in some frozen spinach. This will definitely be in regular rotation!!!
Smart! thanks for sharing! xoxo
Lin says
Great quick side! Flavirful, vegan yumminess.
Lovely! xoxo
Kristin says
You’re a straight-up mind reader!!! I was just wanting to make something just like this and was about to do a “red lentil” search on MB. Perfect timing, can’t wait to make this!!! What do you think about adding veggies straight to the ‘daal’ like chopped carrots?
Thanks for your amazing recipes!
I think that would be lovely! Just add more coconut milk as needed so it isn’t too thick.
Mandy says
I use yellow split peas (chana dall) and cook for 35 mins
Thanks for sharing!
Karen says
I made this substitution too, and loved the less mushy, chewier texture. I soaked them first and then cooked for re. 35 minutes.
B says
SO much flavor!
niki says
This looks delish, but I am just curious exactly what the yellow/ golden lentils you use are? Do you happen to know the Indian name? I have got mung dhal and urid dhal, both sort of yellow, I might just try it with red lentils in the meanwhile :-)
I bought THIS brand at a local store.
Niki says
Thanks! I was totally impatient to try this so used a mix of red, urid and the skinned mung ones, all speedy to cook. Also love your curry powder, just mixed some up in a jar….yeah I have all the separate spices but it is nice to have a quick option! Haven’t tasted yet as still cooking, but smells divine :-O
Niki says
I forgot to leave stars!
Thanks Niki!
Stacia Marcellin says
I can’t find them locally either. I was considering using an Indian lentil.
LaVonne Ray says
Dal lentils cook to mush. Buy sm. yellow/red lentils.
Chelsie says
Can you use green lentils for this? Or would it change the flavor profile too much?
It shouldn’t. However, green lentils seem to take longer to cook, so adjust the cooking time as needed!
judy farnam says
We made the raw carrot cake over Thanksgiving and thought it was wonderful but didn’t have too much success with the topping. Didn’t whip up very tall. I read this week that using different coconut milks whip up differently from others. Maybe a good mention, because this is very fun and is a refreshing dessert!
Kathryn Lloyd says
Looks so good, I’m going to try it with red lentils (too impatient to wait until I get golden ones!)
Susan Pantle says
Looks go good & beautiful! Fall all the way!
Susan Pantle says
I mean, looks so good!!
Mich says
Looks and sounds amazing! I love coconut milk and lentils so it’s a no brainer. BUT, the image that came with the newsletter looks absolutely delicious too. Which one is that one? ?
Kathryn Lloyd says
I agree – Those veggies look amazing!!
Our error! Those are coming soon! xo
Teresa Grenier says
So glad you will be adding ‘recipe’ for the veggie topping! Soon? :)
Louise says
I think you meant to write 45 minutes for the lentil cooking time, rather than 4-5 minutes.
Nope! 4-5. This type of lentil cooks very quickly. And then you continue cooking in the coconut milk mixture.
Tamara says
You would only need 45 min for other types of lentils. Red & yellow take no time to cook!
Alex says
What could you use instead of coconut milk as my husband really doesn’t like coconut flavour?
Dana V. says
Alex ~ If I were you, I’d try it WITH the coconut milk as it will only ADD to the overall flavor NOT stand on its own (coconut milk is most often a part of the curry experience so yah, give it a try WITH, first, before omitting. My opinion of course). :)
Dana ~ Will for sure make! Yum. Thanks for sharing! :)
Alex says
Oh he can taste the tiniest bit of coconut in ANYTHING!!! Wouldn’t be worth using it as he wouldn’t eat it lol!
Elle says
Cashew milk is super creamy, especially if you make your own (which is simple). You can control the creaminess by adding less water to make it more like cream and less like milk.
Sukkari Life (@SukkariLife) says
Using water will be fine or any other plant milk (except oat milk)
Linda says
I often use almond milk as a lower calorie sub for coconut. It doesn’t have the same consistency (not as rich/thick) but it still adds the necessary creaminess. Sometimes I will use a small amount of coconut milk and the rest almond milk.
Recipe sounds great, I look forward to trying it!
Alex – I’d say you could probably also sub almond or even better, rice milk!
Sue says
try watering down almond cream cheese (I like Kite Hill). That would work.
Kirsten says
I know this is an older thread but in case anyone else wonders how to do this without coconut milk…
I had my lentils on and onion/garlic mixture in the pan when I realized I had no coconut milk — or almond or rice milk or anything else even remotely milky. I chucked a stock cube in the lentils while they cooked, omitted the salt addition, and it turned out to be a delicious dish. Obviously, what I ended up with was not what this recipe makes BUT it makes a deliciously flavourful daal nonetheless.
I have also made the recipe as written, and it is wonderful. The coconut is not overwhelming, but nicely complements the spice blend.