Coconut Lentil Curry

This creamy coconut lentil curry recipe is great for beginners as most of the cooking time is hands-off! This delicious curry takes under an hour to make and is extremely forgiving. The ingredient proportions are just a guide and you can season to your own individual taste. All you need is one big pot so clean-up is super quick. To complete the meal, we included instructions for a simple 5 minute garlic naan that is absolutely addicting!

This recipe earns bonus points because it's vegetarian! You can make it vegan by omitting the Greek yogurt and ghee from the naan. However, the yogurt adds another layer of tangy, rich, creaminess to the curry and the ghee adds a nice savoury touch! If you are a meat lover but want this curry on the side, try it with this tandoori inspired baked chicken recipe!

LENTIL FACTS

One of the most nutritious plant-based proteins are lentils! They are super low fat, full of fibre, B vitamins, folic acid, potassium, and other nutrients. Did you know that lentils contain the third-highest levels of protein of all the nuts and legumes? They also provide more folate (important for red blood cell formation, and healthy cell growth and function) than any other plant food! Lentils are super versatile and inexpensive which makes them a great high-quality and accessible protein. The small size of the lentils allow them to cook quickly - usually under an hour!

Lentils are most popularly used in soups and curry's and are sold as either dried or canned. We always purchase dried lentils because they're cheaper and can be stored for longer periods of time. However, always remember to wash your dried lentils in a sifter to remove debris and check for stones before cooking!

RED LENTILS

There are several different types of lentils: red, yellow, black, green, brown...etc. We used red lentils because they cook the fastest (15-30 minutes) while green lentils take the longest (~45 minutes). Red lentils have a mild, sweet, and nutty flavour, and tends to get mushy once cooked. This makes them perfect for thickening up your curry's or soups! Red and yellow lentils are also the only variety sold "split" which means they're processed into smaller pieces and thus, can cook even faster. According to the USDA, one cup of uncooked red lentils provides 44 g protein, 20 g fibre, 80 mg calcium, 12 mg iron, and 1200 mg potassium.