One of my all-time favorite, easy side dishes is coconut jasmine rice. So, I started thinking that if cooking rice in coconut milk was so good, maybe cooking lentils in coconut milk would be too? It sure was!
I basically followed the same formula: coconut milk, a little garlic, and a little salt. This time I also added a little turmeric for flavor and color. I kept it simple and mild because I wanted to pair it with the Indian Style Creamed Spinach, which was pretty spicy. If you want to dress these lentils up a bit, you could add a little red pepper (which I did for garnish on a couple photos), or maybe even a little cinnamon! Any way you do it, this dish is quick, easy, and delicious.
I’ve been just putting the spinach and lentils in one dish for lunch, heating them up together, and taking them both up in one delicious spoonful. They’re made for each other!
**It’s very important to note that red lentils are different in texture than green or brown lentils. They break down much more and cook faster than the other two. They are like the split pea of the lentil family!
Coconut Lentils
Coconut Lentils
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 lb. red lentils (about 2 cups) ($2.39)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric ($0.05)
- 1 15oz. can light coconut milk ($1.99)
- 1 1/2 cups water ($0.00)
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a medium pot and gently rinse 2-3 times or until the water runs clear. Drain as much water out after the last rinse as possible.
- Mince the garlic and add it to the pot along with the salt, turmeric, coconut milk, and 1.5 cups of water. Give it a gentle stir to make sure everything is mixed.
- Bring the pot up to a boil over medium-high heat (use a lid to make this faster). Once it is boiling, remove the lid and let it boil gently for about 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. When most of the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat and let sit for about 5 minutes to continue to absorb. Taste and season with more salt if desired.
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Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
Place the lentils in a medium pot and rinse a few times or until the water runs fairly clear. The lentils kind of stick together when wet, which makes it easier to pour the water out when rinsing without all of the lentils falling out.
Mince the garlic and add it to the pot with the salt and turmeric.
Next, add the coconut milk and 1.5 cups of water. Give it a gentle stir to combine the ingredients.
Bring the pot up to a gentle boil over medium-high heat (use a lid to make it boil faster). Take the lid off and let boil/simmer for about 20 minutes.
Or until most of the liquid is abosrbed. It’s okay to stir once or twice to see how much the liquid has absorbed, but don’t stir too much or you’ll get really mushy lentils. When most of the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat and let them sit and continue to absorb for about five more minutes. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
Mild, creamy, and super savory!
Pairs perfectly with Indian Creamed Spinach and Naan bread to scoop it all up with!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was AMAZING.
My husband doesn’t like mushy textures, so I was hesitant to give this to him, but he loved it!
Easy with fantastic flavor!
I have 3 bags of lentils in my pantry and have no idea what to do with them. I’m going to try this out now. awesome.
These lentils were great! Savory with a bit of sweetness! My husband and I didn’t care for the creamed spinach (even though it was a little spicy, we felt it needed more seasoning of some sort), we put the spinach of top of the lentils & they really complemented each other. Thanks for the recipe! :)
Beth, you have totally come up with a basic version of a traditional Sri Lankan dish all by yourself! I’m totally chuffed :D if you like I can do a little research in the family recipes for the Srilankan version to see if there’s anything you’d like to add? Some of the things I remember off the top of my head are sauteed red onion, curry leaves and mustard seeds…
Cheers,
Diyani
Oooh, this looks delicious yet simple. I will make this!
I made this last night for dinner along with the Indian creamed spinach, it was DELICIOUS. I cannot wait to heat up the leftovers for dinner tonight. Thanks for the great recipe!
These were perfect with your Indian Creamed Spinach. The flavors balance perfectly. I just wish I had made naan to go with it. I’ll do that next time. And there will be a next time! Thanks for sharing another great recipe!
What a fantastic idea for preparing lentils! I can’t wait to try out this recipe myself!
Definitely going to try this thanks!
So tonight I tried this. Used green lentils (all I had on hand) and full fat coconut milk (oh, moo! 500 calories in a can!?). I didn’t have time to make the spinach and naan (tomorrow night). I learned that the green lentils take an hour to cook (I kept having to add water), but that overall this tastes awesome! For fun on my second (!) serving I added the tiniest amount of ginger from a tube, and that was really good, too (not so unlike your Dal Nirvana, actually, which is a staple in my diet now). Anyway, this is all to say: GREAT recipe. Will keep! Thanks!
A tip – wait until the lentils are cooked to add salt. Adding it before they are cooked can make them tough!
Oooohh – I think I have everything in the pantry, can’t wait to try this!
Jen – it’s homemade! The link to the recipe is in the comment below the last photo :)
Is the naan in your photos your homemade naan? Or did you get store bought? either way it looks DELICIOUS! so do the lentils of course :)
making this!