Coconut Red Lentil Dal
A creamy, satisfying dal made with red lentils, coconut milk and warm curry spices. One pot, ready in 30 minutes.
Prep
10 min
Cook
30 min
Total
40 min
Servings
3
Ingredients
- 200 g red lentils (about 1 cup)
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 350 ml water or vegetable stock (adjust to your desired thickness)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (optional, you can leave it out)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 small piece fresh ginger, grated (or ½ tsp ground ginger)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional, but really worth it)
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 pinch fresh mint (to serve, optional)
- 1 pinch parsley or cilantro (to serve, optional)
Method
- 1
Rinse the red lentils well.
- 2
Heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until soft.
- 3
Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds.
- 4
Add the tomato paste and spices (curry powder, turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes) and toast for 1 minute — this is what opens up their aroma.
- 5
Add the red lentils, then pour in the water.
- 6
Cook over medium heat for about 15–20 minutes, until the lentils are fully soft.
- 7
Stir in the coconut milk and simmer on low heat for another 5–10 minutes.
- 8
Add salt, pepper and the lemon juice. If it's too thick, stir in a little hot water — the dal should be lightly flowing and creamy.
Nutrition per serving
420kcal
Calories
18g
Protein
48g
Carbs
16g
Fat