This red lentil curry recipe uses ingredients that you can easily find in your pantry! It is packed with flavor and can be served with jasmine rice, basmati rice, or brown rice. All of these pantry ingredients make an irresistible rich and creamy curry that is bursting with flavor. You can cook this red lentil curry in one pan or one pot, and it’s ready in 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry red lentils
- 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
- ¾ cup yellow onion - about ½ medium onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger - minced
- 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 3½ cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
Optional Garnish:
- sliced scallions
- chopped peanuts
- scallion pancakes
Instructions
Cook the aromatics:
- 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.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add in the tomatoes and seasonings:
- Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, curry powder, coriander, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir to incorporate all the spices with the tomatoes.
- 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.
- Stir in the vegetable broth.
- Cover the skillet or pot with its lid and bring everything to a boil.
Cook the lentils:
- Reduce the heat to low and let the lentils simmer for another 10 minutes.
- 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 dry, add another 1/2 cup of water. Alternatively, if the curry looks too runny, let it continue simmering uncovered. Note that the curry thickens as it cools.
- Continue simmering for another 7 - 10 minutes until the lentils are fully cooked and tender.
Finish and serve:
- 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 scallion pancakes too! Garnish the curry with sliced scallions and chopped peanuts, as desired.