Creamy Coconut Red Lentil Dal

 This Creamy Coconut, Red Lentil, & Almond Butter Curry (Dal) is one of the best comfort meals! It’s naturally vegan and is so simple and easy to make! Definitely a perfect meal to cozy up with!

If I had to choose one savory meal to have for the rest of my life, it would probably be some type of dal. There’s just something so comforting and nostalgic about it, I absolutely love it.

This Creamy Coconut, Red Lentil & Almond Butter Dal adds a rich twist to traditional daal that I absolutely love. You can’t really taste the almond butter, it just adds extra creaminess and a subtle undertone to the dish.

What makes this dal so great? 

This dal is perfect for anyone because:

• You can adjust the spice to your liking
• It’s made with simple pantry ingredients
• It’s so creamy and rich
• It’s packed with nutrients and filled with plant-based protein!
• It’s incredibly easy to make!

Ingredients:

Okay so when you see the full ingredient list down below, it might look like a lot, but its honestly just the spices that make the list look really long. I’ll note which ones are essential here – the rest are great if you have them, and fine if you don’t!

Garlic, Onion, Ginger, Green Chilis: These are the basics to pretty much any curry. If you don’t have fresh ginger, just add in ½ tsp of ground ginger to the spices when you add those.

Spices and herbs: I used quite a few spices, but as long as you have cumin, coriander, red chilli/cayenne powder, curry powder, garam masala, and turmeric, you should be good! I personally really like curry leaves, so if you can get your hands on that, I think you’ll really like it too! I get mine at my local Indian store.

Red lentils: I used red lentils because I like how those turn out a little softer in the daal, but you could also use brown or green lentils, the taste profile will just be slightly different! I also soak mine overnight because I find that it makes them easier to digest – I recommend soaking lentils for at least an hour or so before you cook them as it also helps them cook a little faster.

Veggie Broth, Tomatoes, Full Fat Canned Coconut Milk, and Almond Butter: These are the liquid ingredients that the lentils will cook in. You can replace the veggie broth with water, and if you can’t have nuts, you can replace the almond butter with tahini! You also can omit the almond butter altogether, but I really love the richness that it brings. I personally wouldn’t replace with full fat coconut milk with the lite version as I feel it loses a lot of the richness and creaminess! Also when you’re using the coconut milk, make sure to stir the can well first to combine the thick cream at the top and the watery bottom.

Toppings: I topped this with some fenugreek leaves and fresh cilantro, but feel free to omit if you don’t have these.

How to make Creamy Coconut,Red Lentil, & Almond Butter Curry:

This is so simple to make! The thing that takes me the longest is chopping the onion because I literally cry the second I make the first cut.

Sauté: Take the chopped onion and saute it in the oil for 3-5 minutes until it starts to lightly brown. Then add in the garlic, ginger, and green chillies and saute for another couple of minutes.

Add in Herbs and Spice: Add in your herbs and spices and saute for another 1 minute or so until it starts to get really fragrant. If the spices start to stick to the pan, add a little water and to loosen everything up.

Cook the lentils: Add in the veggie broth, tomatoes, and lentils. Combine everything well, and bring the pot to a boil. Then, turn the heat to low and cover the pot. Let it cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring the pot well every 5-7 minutes to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.

Add in the Creaminess: Pour in the coconut milk and almond butter and stir it in. Bring the pot to a simmer, and let it cooked uncovered for 10 ish minutes.

Enjoy! Top with cilantro and fenugreek leaves and enjoy with rice or bread!

Why is this meal balanced?

In addition to being so warming and comforting, this meal is also super nutritious and balanced so that our body is fueled and feeling good!

Protein: Daal is packed with protein because of the lentils, but the almond butter also adds in an extra boost!

Carbs: Lentils also serve as a great source of fiber-filled carbs! I usually also serve dal with rice/quinoa or bread to make it more filling!

Fat: The coconut milk and almond butter are the fats that keep this meal rich and flavorful!

Extras! In South Asian culture, spices like turmeric are used to help reduce inflammation in the body, so that’s pretty cool!

Storage

 This serving usually lasts me 3 days (so 3 servings) when I store it in an airtight container in the fridge. But you can easily double the amounts to feed your family or to freeze to eat later!

Dal freezes well, so if you want to just meal prep ahead for a couple weeks, that would work well!