Name: Easy Vegan Red Lentil Dhal
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 yellow onion, finely chopped; a little oil for frying; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 Tbsp curry powder; 1 Tbsp garam masala; 120g red lentils (dried); 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400g); 1 tin coconut milk (400g); salt & pepper to taste; chilli powder (optional); rice; fresh coriander; coconut yogurt; spring onions; sesame seeds

For those nights where all you want is a hearty & healthy dish: this Easy Vegan Red Lentil Dhal is your friend!

You probably know by now that I’m all about hearty & delicious comfort foods – but with a healthy twist (mostly!). This easy Vegan Red Lentil Dhal is a firm favourite in my kitchen – cause it’s super easy & quick to create. So when I’m really hungry for a warming & more-ish dish without the fuss, then this dhal is just absolutely perfect!

What you’ll need

Ingredients

red lentils (dried)
coconut milk: making this dhal super creamy!
chopped tomatoes
curry powder: you can use your favourites or whatever you have to hand at the time. I usually go with a mild curry powder
garam masala
garlic
onion
a little oil: you can also use water, if you want to keep this dish a little lower on calories.
salt & pepper: season to your own taste
chilli powder (optional): in case you like it spicy or your curry powder it not spicy enough! 😉

Equipment

large frying pan
spatula or wooden spoon
measuring jugs or scale

Nothing crazy or fancy needed for this recipe, that’s why I love it also!

How to make Easy Vegan Red Lentil Dhal

To start with this recipe simply add a splash of oil to a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add your chopped onions and cook for a minute or until they start to become translucent, then add in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Sprinkle in the curry powder and garam masala – I like to use a mild curry powder for this recipe – quickly stir it with the onions & garlic, then pour in the dried red lentils. Gently stir to combine everything and if you like it on the spicy side, add in some chilli powder (totally optional!). Pour in the tin of chopped tomatoes and the tin of coconut milk, then reduce the heat to low and allow everything to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir regularly to allow for the dhal to evenly cook.

In the meantime you can prepare some delicious, fluffy rice to serve the dhal with! I love adding a tablespoon of shredded coconut into my rice when boiling, simply delicious!

Your dhal is cooked when the red lentils are completely softened and have soaked up the majority of the liquid in your frying pan. Serve the simple dhal with the rice, coconut yogurt and fresh herbs & enjoy!

How to serve dhal

There are different option of how you can enjoy this recipe. You can totally eat a dhal on it’s own and without any sides of rice, however I find it tastes best served with a delicious, fluffy white rice.

Coconut yogurt is also a great addition to the dish, it simply adds something fresh and creamy to the meal – and if your dhal is on the spicier side, then it wonderfully balances out the spice. Yogurt is definitely my favourite addition to any dhal or curry!

In addition I love adding fresh herbs – mostly either coriander or parsley to the dish – the little splash of green also looks wonderful and delicious on the dish!

Finishing off with some sesame seeds for a light crunch (yes, I simply love adding them to all my dishes, ha!)

This recipe is:

100% vegan
naturally gluten-free
more-ish
hearty
warming
full of flavour
easy to make!