Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry

What do you do if you’re leaving the house for almost a month and you have a head of cauliflower, a couple carrots, and a bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro) left in the fridge? You make Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry!

Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry - Vegan and Gluten-Free

Normally, the “day before vacation” meals are a quick stir-fry of whatever is left in the fridge. Yesterday though, I got lucky and found this great recipe from Reader’s Digest (via All Recipes), and was pleasantly surprised to find that I had everything on hand to make it.

Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry - Vegan and Gluten-Free

Notes

  • I thought the curry needed more “green” so I tossed in the 1/3 bag of spinach that I also had leftover in the fridge. I think it’s a great addition, so I’ve included it in the recipe below.
  • I found that my lentils were drying out while cooking, so I upped the vegetable stock from 150ml to 250ml, and noted it as such below.
  • If you serve this with rice, it will feed 4 people, but if you eat it straight-up, it’s more like 3.
  • This isn’t spicy at all – so feel free to add a teaspoon of crushed red chili pepper if you like a bit of spice.
Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry - Vegan & Gluten-Free Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry - Vegan & Gluten-Free
Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry - Vegan & Gluten-Free Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry - Vegan & Gluten-Free
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Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry

This hearty cauliflower and lentil coconut curry is great on its own, but you can serve it over rice to stretch the portions. Vegan and Gluten-Free!

  • Author: Angela @ Vegangela.com
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
  • Yield: 3-4 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2.5 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • ⅓ cup dry red lentils
  • 250 ml vegetable broth, hot
  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
  • 400 ml can coconut milk
  • ¾ cup frozen green beans or peas, thawed and drained
  • large handful of spinach (optional)
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander) leaves (plus more for garnish)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan, heat 1½ tbsp of the oil and gently cook the onion for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes.
  2. Stir in the lentils. Pour in the broth, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and leave to gently simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the cauliflower for 2–3 minutes until lightly browned. Add to the lentil mixture with the carrot and coconut milk.
  4. Bring the curry to a gentle simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the beans/peas (and spinach, if using) and cook for 3–4 minutes.
  5. Stir in 2 tbsp of cilantro and the lemon juice, then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon onto a warmed serving dish or into four warmed serving dishes and garnish with additional cilantro.

Notes

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/6194/cauliflower-and-lentil-curry.aspx

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Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry - Vegan and Gluten-Free

Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry - Vegan and Gluten-Free

Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry - Vegan and Gluten-Free

What I’ll be up to…

I’m leaving Sydney later today to spend a month back home in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. I can’t wait to see my family, friends, and work colleagues – and I’m really looking forward to those long & warm summer nights. Canadian summers are the best because everyone appreciates them so much – no day is taken for granted! I probably won’t be able to post anything for the next couple weeks since I’ll be living out of hotels and staying with in-laws. However, when I’m at my parents’ house in mid August, I plan on cookin’ up a storm, so hopefully there will be a few posts from within my little mommy’s kitchen (and garden). Take care everyone – see you on the other side of the world! 🙂

28 thoughts on “Cauliflower and Lentil Coconut Curry”

  1. Hi Caitlin,
    This was such a treat.
    Thank you so much.
    I follow the recipe to the letter and still smacking my lips.
    Love this recipe.
    Bridie

    Reply
  2. This was a really great, healthy recipe that I’m going to make again. We didn’t have peas on hand, and threw in some chopped bell peppers that we needed to use up instead, which turned out fine. I also tweaked the spices, swapping some garam masala and curry powder for most of the coriander and cumin. It turned out really great!

    Reply
  3. This recipe was awesome even the kids loved this. Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to make it again

    Reply
  4. We made this and really enjoyed it. The only thing is that we thought the taste of turmeric was a bit too strong, but we’ll just add a little less next time.
    Thanks for an awesome website! We’re making more of your recipes this week 🙂

    Reply
  5. I should add too- great portion size! I do like a cup of lentils and a bunch of veggies, makes enough for lunches for a whole work week.

    Reply
  6. This is absolutely one of my favorite go to recipes! I’ve made it at least 6 times now, it’s great because i just use whatever veggies I have laying around (right now its eggplant and fingerling potatoes)! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  7. Please ignore my previous comment… I figured it out LOL I don’t have much experience with curry.

    We had this tonight OMG it was delicious!! I am not adventurous at all so this was a leap. My whole family liked it including my kids. Thank you for this wonderful creation 🙂

    Reply
  8. I’m using this recipe but adding marrow and small about of swede too, with wholegrain rice :-p I’m looking forward to it.

    Reply
  9. Made this tonight, and got a two-thumbs-up from my meat-eating 6 year old. Around here, that makes it a keeper! My husband and I loved it, and the 8 year old ate it without complaining (the best I can hope for). I’ll add more greens next time, as my big handful of spinach got lost.

    Reply
    • I’m glad to hear that it was such a hit! Good point about the spinach. I find you can always add a bit more as it wilts down to almost nothing. Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂

      Reply
  10. made this tonight for the family and it was absolutely delicious! looking forward to making more recipes from your website!

    Reply
    • Thanks Daina! The weather in Sydney sounds like it’s been pretty good, but yes, I look forward to being back for summer. We’ll need to catch up and exchange raw recipe ideas! x

      Reply
  11. I made this dish tonight for my mum and me and WOW. This was insanely good. I used a can of chickpeas instead of the peas, and a half a bag of spinach. Also omitted the cilantro since my mum isn’t a fan and it still turned out incredible. Thanks for posting; this will for sure be on my regular rotation!!

    Reply
    • Hi Jodi – Thanks for your comments and taking the time to provide feedback. I’m so glad that you liked the recipe. It would be great with chickpeas – I’ll try that one time (more protein too!)

      Reply
  12. wow-this curry looks amazing! by the looks of the recipe, it looks to be quite a flavorful dish! what better way to leave for vacation than to clean out your fridge AND create suchhh an amazing dish?!

    Reply

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