Curried Red Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Turmeric Spiced Rice
These curried red lentils are vegan, gluten free, soy free and have an oil free option. They are a regular meal at my house and this recipe is a great one for your meal prep rotation. I like to make a pot of lentils to eat for lunches throughout the week. You can eat them alone or serve with your preferred grain, but I highly recommend trying them with this turmeric rice.
About the Ingredients
Red lentils are inexpensive and packed full of protein, fiber, iron, B vitamins and so much more. Because they are quick to cook and do not require advance soaking they are worth keeping in your pantry.
Coconut milk is an excellent source of medium-chain fatty acids (MCTs). Oftentimes people are concerned about the high fat content in coconut milk but these MCTs are easily digested and absorbed by the body making them an excellent energy source.
Turmeric is a bit of a celebrity spice these days and with good reason. In addition to being a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, consumption of curcumin (a compound found in turmeric) has been linked to improved brain function and a lowered risk of heart disease.
Curried Red Lentils with Turmeric Rice
Ingredients
Curried Lentils
- 1 onion, small chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch piece ginger peeled and minced
- 1.5 tsp olive oil (sub water or broth for oil free option)
- 1 medium sweet potato, chopped into 1/2" cubes (approx. 1 cup)
- 1 can coconut milk 13.5 oz
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup red lentils dry
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
Turmeric Rice
- 1 cup White Jasmine Rice dry
- 1.5 cup water
- 1/2 tsp turmeric dry
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the Curried Lentils
- Saute the onion, garlic and ginger with the olive oil (or water/broth if you wish to avoid oil) over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes, until onion is soft.
- Add the curry powder to the pan along with the coconut milk, water, sweet potatoes and red lentils. Stir to combine everything.
- Lower the heat to medium and allow the lentils to simmer, covered, for 50 minutes. You will want to stir occasionally, especially near the end of the cook time, to keep the lentils from cooking to the bottom of the pan. The sweet potatoes and lentils should both be soft and well cooked.
- Add salt at the end, adjusting amount based on your taste.
For the Turmeric Rice
- Combine the rice, water, turmeric and pepper in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and allow the rice to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat. Keep covered for 10 minutes.
- Fluff rice with a fork.