This red lentil curry is one of my travel staple meals, something I make all the time now that we’re always on the go. It’s so easy to make using a mixed curry powder rather than having to either pack or buy all the individual spices I would usually use, tastes great, and uses other easy-to-find ingredients like carrots, dried lentils, and tinned tomatoes.

Recipe Rundown: Red Lentil Curry

• Flavour: slightly sweet from the long-cooked vegetables and coconut milk, and with a fairly subtle curry flavour. No additional chili pepper is added so it’s not a spicy dish.
• Texture: quite soft and smooth, with just the slightest bite from the carrots. If you want more textural variation, you can add peas (see tips below). This is a thick curry and meant to be served alone if you’d like, with no additional grains or naan, though of course they can be added to the meal.
• Difficulty: not difficult at all. As long as you can be patient while the vegetables cook, this is a great recipe for cooks with any skill level.

Ingredients

• Red lentils: whole or split, it doesn’t matter. Whole red lentils will probably need a little longer to cook than split but note that the older the lentils are, the longer they’ll need to cook in any case.
• Curry powder: use your favourite. Curry powder is simply a mix of spices commonly used in curries and they vary widely – I like mine to be turmeric-forward. If you want to use individual spices, use 1 teaspoon each turmeric and ground coriander, ½ teaspoon each cumin and ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon hot pepper.
• Coconut milk: pictured is with full-fat coconut milk and I haven’t tested this recipe using a light option. Light coconut milk will make the curry thinner.
• Carrots: use pumpkin or another vegetable instead of carrots if you prefer. Try to choose something with a little natural sweetness if you’re making a substitution here.

For more red lentil recipes, try my red lentil pancakes, easy lentil bolognese, and carrot red lentil soup.

Step by Step Photos

Please note that portable induction cook tops like this one tend to run a little hotter than normal stoves, so what looks like low here is equivalent to medium-low on a regular stove top.

Step 1: thinly slice the onions and add to a pot with oil.

Step 2: cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions should be soft and lightly browned.

Step 3: add the carrots and cook for another ten minutes.

Step 4: stir in the spices, garlic, and ginger, and cook briefly.

Step 5: add the tomatoes, coconut milk, and salt, simmer, then add the lentils.

Step 6: simmer for 15 minutes, until the lentils are cooked.

How to Store

Storage: keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat as usual. You may need to add a splash of water if reheating in a pot so that it doesn’t stick.

Freezing: transfer fully cooled curry to an airtight container and freeze up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. It’s best to freeze the same day you cook it for freshness.

Expert Tips

• Try add-ins: I recommend adding frozen peas or fresh greens like spinach or chard once the curry is finished cooking. Stir them in and place the lid back on the pot for a couple of minutes before serving. We often add peas and/or greens to this.
• Cook slowly: the whole basis for this recipe is the slow-cooked onion and carrot (20 minutes just for that). This adds sweetness and depth to an otherwise very simple dish and can’t be skipped. Set a timer!
• Rinse the can: this is a thick curry and has no added water or broth apart from a little splash from rinsing out the tomato tin. It should be right around 50 ml (about ¼ cup) and no more.
• Simmer until tender: the lentils should need around 15 minutes to cook, but can take a little longer if they’re very old. Simmer the curry until the lentils are cooked through even if it takes more than the outlined time.

More Vegetarian Curry Recipes

Cauliflower, Sweet Potato, and Chickpea Curry
Lentil Mushroom Curry
Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry
Chickpea Pumpkin Curry

If you make this Red Lentil Curry or any other vegetarian dinner recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.