What do you call this, dhal? No, it’s RecipeTin Eats’ lentil chickpea coconut curry

A good whack of fresh garlic and ginger dial up the flavour on this rib-sticking (and budget-friendly) vegan meal.

June 3, 2024

Raid the pantry to make this hearty vegetarian curry.Rob Palmer; styling: Emma Knowles

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

This downright delicious curry, made with spices and ingredients I always have in my pantry, channels dhal vibes. A good whack of fresh garlic and ginger is key to taking this from “pretty good” to “seriously delicious”, so don’t skip them. And please don’t even think about using the jarred stuff – it’s too wet to saute properly and the sour flavour barely resembles the fresh stuff.

SOS checklist

Less than $20 for 4 servings ✔

Ingredients

50g (3 tbsp) coconut oil – see note
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1½ tbsp ginger, finely minced
1 tbsp curry powder – see note
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp garam masala
½ tsp cayenne pepper, optional
1¼ tsp cooking salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained
1 x 400g can tomato, crushed or diced
1 x 400ml can full-fat coconut milk, ¼ cup reserved for serving
¾ cup dried green lentils, or brown (or split peas) – see note
750ml (3 cups) water
3 tightly packed cups baby spinach

TO SERVE

½ cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped
steamed basmati rice (or other rice)

Method

Step 1
Set aside ¼ cup coconut milk to drizzle at the end.
Step 2
Melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and sweet and tinged with gold. Turn the heat up to high, add the curry powder and turmeric, then cook, stirring, for 1½ minutes.
Step 3
Add all the remaining ingredients except the spinach and reserved coconut milk. Stir, then bring to a simmer. Place the lid on and adjust the heat to low/medium-low so it’s simmering gently. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and simmer for a further 10 minutes to reduce the sauce. The lentils should be soft, and the sauce thick and creamy. If it’s too thick, add a little more water. If it’s too thin, simmer a little longer. Stir through the spinach and cook until wilted.
Step 4
To serve, stir through half the coriander, then taste and add more salt if needed. Serve over basmati rice, sprinkling on the remaining coriander leaves and a swish of reserved coconut milk.

Notes

Unrefined coconut oil adds a delicious coconut flavour to this curry. If you don’t have it, use any oil you have – or ghee or butter.
Use mild yellow curry powder such as Keen’s or Clive of India.
You can substitute 2 cans of drained lentils for the dried version. Start with 1 cup of water rather than 3 cups and reduce the simmer time to 15 minutes with the lid on. Add extra water only if needed to loosen the curry.