Lentil Spinach Curry Recipe with Coconut Rice | Vegetarian & Vegan (2024)

4.79 from 19 votes

For the coconut rice (might make a little extra):

• 2 and 1/4 cups uncooked white jasmine rice
• 1 and 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
• water (see instructions)
• pinch salt
• (optional) 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• (optional) 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the lentil spinach curry:

• 1 and 1/2 cups uncooked green lentils
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 large red onion thinly sliced
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 jalapeno seeded and finely chopped
• 1 inch ginger peeled and grated or minced
• 4 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp salt plus more to taste
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 1 cup diced tomatoes (I used canned)
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 8 ounces fresh baby spinach (about 8 cups, loosely packed)
• 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk (see notes)

For the coconut rice:

• Rinse the rice well. Add it to your rice cooker along with the rest of the rice ingredients, and enough water to reach level 3 in the rice cooker. Cook until done. If not using a rice cooker, or using a rice cooker without level markings, cook the rice with your usual method and amount of liquid, substituting the coconut milk for 1 and 1/4 cups of the water. Most rice packages will also include instructions. Do NOT make this with only the rice and coconut milk - you need to add water.

For the lentil spinach curry:

• Add the lentils to a saucepan along with enough water to cover them by several inches. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until tender and done to your liking. Drain the cooked lentils and set aside.

• Meanwhile, warm the olive oil over medium heat in a deep skillet, saucepan, or dutch oven. Add the red onion and cook until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin seeds and cook for about 1 minute. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and ginger, stir, and cook for about 1 minute, or until the garlic and ginger are fragrant and slightly softened. Add the garam masala and cook for thirty seconds until fragrant.

• Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon salt, lime juice, diced tomatoes, and coconut sugar, and reduce the heat a little bit. Cook for about 10 more minutes, until the tomatoes are starting to break down.

• Meanwhile, add the spinach to a food processor and pulse to chop it, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the non-dairy milk and pulse to combine, until the spinach is finely chopped but not pureed.

• Once the lentils and tomato mixture are both finished cooking, stir the lentils into the tomato mixture. Add the spinach mixture and stir well. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 7-10 minutes or until the spinach is softened and bright green. Add more salt, pepper and lime juice to taste. Serve hot with a side of coconut rice.

NON-DAIRY MILK: If you are using canned coconut milk then you will have 1/4 cup leftover from making the rice. Dilute this with another 1/4 cup water to use in the lentil spinach curry where it calls for 1/2 cup non-dairy milk. If you do not have non-dairy milk, you can substitute 1/2 cup vegetable broth plus 2 extra teaspoons of olive oil.

PREP AND CLEANUP: This recipe uses a few different dishes but it's still pretty simple and easy to make. To ensure that cleanup doesn't become a pain, start out with an empty sink, and rinse all dishes as soon as you're done with them. Then, clean a dish or two while waiting for various components of the recipe to finish. By the time dinner is served your kitchen will be almost clean. 🙂

NUTRITION NOTE: Nutrition facts were calculated using only 1/2 of the rice recipe, since it makes extra.