Vegan Curried Coconut Tomato Lentils
“The Lentils" (above).
My Indian food obsession growing during my time in India (below).
People often miss food from “home” when they travel, but during my time in India my only concern was that I wouldn’t have enough time to try all of the Indian food I wanted while I was there. There is simply too much Indian cuisine that is really hard to find in the US, and such a large variety of richly flavored foods there that I was dreading coming back to the US at all. A lot of Indian food is inherently vegetarian or vegan because eating meat is not as widespread in some parts of India, but most Indian dishes are still packed full of protein and flavor. Luckily for me, my hosts taught me some basics of Indian cooking while I was there, and there are a wealth of amazing recipes by Indian Americans that have allowed me to make Indian food in my own home.
Looking for some Indian chefs to follow on Instagram and get some inspiration? A few of our favorites: @cookinacurry, @archana.pidathala, and @mallikabasu_ Our contributor Archana Choudhary also inspires us on the daily — check out her recipes under her profile!
In my COVID-19 bubble, one of these staple recipes has become better known as “The Lentils” due to their popularity (blatant brag I know). The recipe makes such a large amount of food, it’s my favorite thing to make in preparation for a busy week, and the ingredients are all shelf-stable in my pantry, so I virtually always have them on hand. These curried coconut tomato lentils are heartwarming, delicious, and so satisfying on cold days. They are also vegan, and can be served with rice or naan (or toast) and garnished with cilantro or some fresh tomatoes.
Before we get to the recipe, a brief note about spices: the lentils really soak in all the spices you give them, so my philosophy in this case is always the more the merrier. By layering them in throughout the cooking process (adding some in the beginning, and adding more later) they release their intense flavors at different times and add amazing complexity to the dish. On that note, for this recipe I simply listed the minimum amount of spice you’d need to be satisfied, as spices can be really expensive. The spices in this dish really revolve around Garam Masala, which is a great spice-staple to have on hand, but if you have any of the spices listed under the “optional” category, I would recommend adding those to taste for even more flavor and complexity.
Ingredients
Yield: 10 cups
Time: 1.5 hours
1 lb dried brown lentils
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
3 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
1 small yellow onion
6-10 cloves garlic
3 cups vegetable broth can substitute chicken or beef, but it will not be vegan anymore
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne red pepper
1 teaspoon salt (plus additional to taste at the end)
1 teaspoon black pepper
Additional optional spices: turmeric, dried ginger, cinnamon, cumin,
Optional garnish: cilantro or cherry tomatoes. The cilantro chutney from contributor Archana Choudhary would be delightful.
Preparation:
Finely chop a small yellow onion and 6 (or more) cloves of garlic.
Pour oil into a large pan over medium heat. All of your ingredients will go into one pan so make sure it’s deep enough to hold everything—I usually use a 12 inch pan that is 2-3 inches inches deep.
Saute the onion and garlic in the oil along with 1 tablespoon Garam Masala and a teaspoon of any other spices you’re using.
Rinse lentils while the oil and spices are cooking. Continue to saute the onions and garlic over medium heat until the onions are translucent.
Add your lentils to the pan, stir well, and saute for 2-3 minutes with the onion, garlic and spices.
Add the can of diced tomatoes directly to the pan and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the can of coconut milk directly to the pan, along with the broth, and turn the heat to high.
Stir in the rest of your spices. I recommend tasting at this point before adding more salt. Some pre-made broth or Bullion cubes can be quite salty, so you may not need any more salt after adding the broth. Except for the cayenne pepper, you really can’t “over-spice” this dish.
Once the mixture has reached a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Stir every 10 minutes or so for the next 45 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and have soaked up all of the liquid. Taste to make sure they are soft and spiced to your preference, and then remove from the heat.
Plate with rice and garnish. Enjoy!
Original inspiration for this recipe came from this recipe from The Endless Meal.
Best Practices:
As always:
This recipe relies heavily on packaged goods. That said, not all packaging is made equal! Make sure to opt for food packaged in recyclable containers! Cans are recyclable in most areas of the US and the lentils can often be found in bulk sections of grocery stores.
Try to bring your own reusable bags when you go shopping for these ingredients, and choose grocery store chains that are engaged in their community.
These ingredients have been chosen with several things in mind:
We are posting this recipe in winter because nearly all of these ingredients are available year-round or commonly in a shelf-stable form. As always, we encourage you to shop as locally and seasonally as possible, so that means that if it’s not tomato season in your area you might opt for a different garnish like a yogurt or cilantro or none at all. Shelf stable ingredients also take longer to go bad and can be a way to reduce food waste.
This recipe is vegan and packs a lot of plant protein in a delicious dish. Opting for plant-based foods whenever possible reduces your carbon footprint significantly. Even if you are not vegan full-time, going plant-based for as many meals as possible can have a large impact.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let us know! If you really loved it, share it on social media and tag us (@groundedgrub), or, better yet, share it with your friends and family!
