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Dinner recipe · from the recipe book

Red Lentil Chickpea Coconut Curry with Cauliflower

Creamy, gently spiced red lentils and tender chickpeas simmer with cauliflower and spinach in a gingery coconut sauce, served over fluffy basmati-style rice.

Red Lentil Chickpea Coconut Curry with Cauliflower

Ingredients

  • 1 cup190 gRed lentils, dryrinsed
  • 1 can, drained254 gChickpeas, canned, drained and rinsed
  • 4¼ cups florets450 gCauliflowercut into small florets
  • 1¾ cups400 gCoconut milk, cannedstirred well
  • 3 cups700 gWater
  • 1½ medium160 gYellow onionfinely chopped
  • 4 cloves12 gGarlicminced
  • 2½ tbsp grated15 gFresh gingergrated
  • 2 tbsp30 gTomato paste
  • 1 tbsp15 gCanola oil
  • 1½ tbsp8 gCurry powder
  • 1½ tsp3 gGround cumin
  • ¾ tsp2 gGround turmeric
  • ¾ tsp5 gSalt
  • 4 cups loosely packed120 gBaby spinach
  • 2 tbsp30 gLime juice
  • ⅔ cup chopped10 gFresh cilantrochopped
  • 1 cup200 gLong-grain white rice, dryrinsed

Steps

  1. Before you start cooking, chop the onion, mince the garlic, grate the ginger, cut the cauliflower into florets, rinse the red lentils and the rice, and chop the cilantro.
  2. Cook the rice: bring the rice and one third of the water to a boil in a small saucepan, cover, reduce to low and cook 15 minutes, then rest off the heat, covered, while the curry finishes.
  3. Heat the canola oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft and golden, about 7 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Stir in the curry powder, cumin and turmeric and cook 30 seconds until fragrant, then stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute more.
  5. Add the red lentils, the remaining two thirds of the water, half of the coconut milk and the salt. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cover partly and cook 10 minutes, stirring now and then.
  6. Add the cauliflower and the chickpeas, cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender and the lentils have melted into a thick sauce, 12 to 15 minutes. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
  7. Stir in the remaining half of the coconut milk and the spinach and cook just until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice.
  8. Fluff the rice with a fork, spoon the curry over it and scatter the cilantro on top.

Allergens: none of the nine major allergens in the ingredients as written.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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