What We’re Cooking This Weekend: Easy Lentil Curry (Daal)

|Updated Nov 3, 2020

If you asked me what my favorite cuisines are, Indian food is definitely in my top three. I am a sucker for curry dishes as they are easy to make, packed with flavor and the leftovers often become more flavorful as the ingredients and spices have time to get acquainted. This makes it the perfect meal to make in bulk! One of my favorite curries to make is a Daal, which is simply a lentil curry.

This Daal is a delicious one-pot recipe and can be made in less than one hour. that is packed with good-for-you spices such as anti-inflammatory turmeric and high in protein from the lentils. I use dry red lentils as they cook quickly compared to other dry legumes, but you can use any kind of lentil you want, even canned if you're short on time, but you definitely get more bang for your buck when you buy dry lentils in bulk.

Easy Lentil Curry (Daal)

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 30 Min
Total Time: 40 Min
Servings 2

Ingredients

1 Cup Dry Lentils
1 Large Onion, chopped
1 Cup Carrots, finely diced
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
2 Tsp Ginger, minced
1 Red Chili Pepper, finely diced
1 Tbsp Tamari Sauce, Soy Sauce also works
1 ½ Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tbsp Curry Powder
3 Cups Water
½ of a 400ml Can of Coconut Milk
1 Tbsp Coriander, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat about 2 Tbsp of oil in a pot over medium heat. Add in chopped onions and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Add your carrots, garlic, ginger, and chili pepper to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add your soy sauce, cumin, turmeric, and curry powder. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in your water and lentils into the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes covered. The lentils will absorb some of the water and expand just a bit.
Pour in half the can of your coconut milk, you can use coconut milk lite if you want it to be lower in fat. Stir until well combined. Bring it back to a simmer for 10 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally. If your curry isn’t thick enough you can simmer for a few more minutes. Or if your curry becomes too thick, stir in a splash of water until you get your desired consistency.
Stir in your coriander. Add in your salt and pepper to taste. Taste for any other spices to add in as well.
Serve with basmati rice, or rice of choice, and garnish with some fresh coriander. Have some naan on the side as well if you really want to take your Daal experience to another level! Enjoy!