Love lentils, and love a sweet and sour curry so we’re super happy with this recipe for Vegan Lentil Curry. It’s loosely based on Dansak…and I do mean loosely.
We aren’t great with hot spices, so this is mild. If you want more heat just increase the amount and strength of the curry powder you use. I realise it’s controversial to use Pineapple juice, but honestly I’ve had pineapple chunks in restaurant Dansak curries before so I’ve not gone completely mad. It does add a nice sweetness to the dish which we love.
We’ve added roasted sweet potato, and mushrooms to this dish. But that’s because its what we had available. I think some roasted cauliflower would be nice as well. Roasting vegetables really does bring out their flavour and it’s simple to do while the lentils are bubbling away.
One of the things that’s great about curry is that it’s delicious the next day, so leftovers are always popular in our house. Also, it’s a pretty forgiving dish, you can add a bit more stock if you get the timings of the rice or Nan Bread wrong and it should be fine. You can also turn off the heat and reheat it later if you wish.
We love it with Vegan Nan Bread, and have come up with a recipe that we think is great – you can check it out here:
So, this is the perfect Friday night curry at a fraction of the take away price! Enjoy.
Vegan Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1 tsp Mild Chilli Powder (stronger if you like)
- 4 large Garlic Cloves
- 1 inch Fresh Ginger (chopped roughly)
- 2 heaped tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 small Onion (diced)
- 200 ml Pineapple Juice
- 1200 ml Vegan Vegetable Stock
- 1/3 Cup Mango Chutney
- 3 heaped tbsp Coconut Yoghurt
- 1 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 2 Cups Red Lentils
- 1 large Sweet Potato (peeled and chopped into smallish cubes)
- 3/4 Cup Chopped Mushrooms
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Fry the onion in a little oil until translucent.
- Take the ginger, onion, garlic, chilli and curry powders, garam masala, and turmeric, and whizz them into a paste. If it makes it easier just add a tablespoon of water.
- Add the paste to a large frying pan with high sides and cook for a few minutes.
- Add in the mango chutney, pineapple juice, coconut yoghurt and stock and whisk to combine. Add in the lentils and stir.
- Now leave it on low heat to bubble away for 45 minutes or so. Stir occasionally to make sure no lentils are sticking to the bottom of the dish. You can always add a bit of stock if you think it's too thick. Just do a little at a time.
- Now is the time to roast your vegetables - peel and dice the sweet potato, toss in a bit of oil and roast for 30 minutes in a hot oven. If you are adding in roast cauliflower it will only take about 10 minutes in the oven. Slice your mushrooms and fry in a bit of dairy-free butter if you like. We add them raw and let them cook in the lentils.
- After 40-45 minutes the lentils should be cooked, but have a bit of bite to them. Stir in your veg and dinner is ready! I love it with Naan, but rice is good too.
