Sri Lankan Red Lentil Curry. Creamy Dal curry Spiced with fenugreek seeds, cinnamon & black peppercorns. Coconut milk adds cooling creaminess. Easy Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe. No garlic recipe. Jump to Recipe
Its getting cooler out here. I am loving warming soups and stews. Lentil soups/Dals are a staple in the house whether winter or summer. During summer, the lentil soups are made less spicy and served with kachumbar salad (chopped cucumber onion tomato cilantro tossed in salt, black pepper and lemon juice), raita (non dairy yogurt lightly spiced with cumin, salt, cayenne with onion, cucumber, tomato or shredded summer squash mixed in) and or other cooling sides. Cooler months call for warm spices, black pepper, quick cooking lentils.
This creamy spiced Dal curry is delicious and easy. It is spiced with whole cinnamon and fenugreek seeds. Fenugreek Seeds 
add a smooth bitter and garlicky flavor profile to the soup eliminating the need for added garlic. You can also sprout the seeds to add to sandwiches or add to salads. They have a bitter flavor profile that if used well is pleasing. Make a big bowl of this creamy curried lentil soup and serve with crackers, flatbread, roasted veggies or rice.
More lentil soups from the blog
- Dal Fry – Spiced Indian Lentil Soup Restaurant style Recipe
- Moroccan Lentil Soup
- Oil-free Spicy Garlic Dal
- Black eyed pea Lentil Soup
The current issue of Thrive Magazine showcases various vegan chefs including a 2 page spread on yours truly…Excerpt here!
Make this Sri lankan inspired Red Lentil Curry. Creamy, spicy, easy and so good! Inspired from some recipes from the web and Vegan Eats World
cookbook.
Recipe Card
Sri Lankan Red Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (135 g) red lentils masoor dal - these are split lentils (red/pink)
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) fenugreek seeds
- 1/3 tsp (0.33 tsp) black peppercorns
- 1/3 tsp (0.33 tsp) cayenne or to taste or 1-2 dried red chilies. California red for mild, cayenne or bird eye red chilies for hot
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) turmeric
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) mustard seeds
- 6 to 8 curry leaves fresh or frozen or dried
- 1/2 (0.5) small red onion chopped
- 2 inch cinamon stick
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) water
- 3/4 tsp (0.75 tsp) salt or to taste
- 1/4 cup (56.5 ml) or more coconut milk or other non dairy milk
- 1 (1) tomato finely chopped
- 1/2 to 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp shredded coconut
Instructions
- Wash and soak the red lentils.
- Grind the fenugreek, black pepper, cayenne/red chilies, turmeric into a powder and keep aside.
- In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds and let them start to pop. Add curry leaves carefully and mix in. Add the fenugreek seed powder, stir and cook for 5 to 10 seconds.
- Add onions, cinnamon stick and a pinch of salt. Mix to coat with spices. Cook for about 3 minutes.
- Drain and add the lentils to the saucepan. Add water, salt and coconut milk. Mix in. Partially cover and cook for 12 to 14 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes, lemon juice, taste and adjust salt and spice. Lower the heat to low. Cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Stir once in between.
- Garnish with shredded coconut and pepper flakes (optional). Serve as a soup with crackers or as dal with rice or flatbread.
Notes
Variations: Add more coconut milk instead of water for creamier soup.
Add in chopped veggies. Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker: Follow steps 1 to 4 (IP on saute, deglaze the onion with a tbsp of water or broth at step 4 if needed as the IP gets hot). Add the lentils, milk, water,salt, half of the tomato and lemon juice, mix. Close the lid, pressure cook for 3 mins. Then quick release after 5 mins. Fold in the rest of the tomato and lemon. Taste and adjust. Add some shredded coconut and serve. Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Genie
We had this last night with leftovers for lunch today. My husband loved it! I thought it was a bit too hot so will probably tone it down slightly in the future.
Had a question about curry leaves, which I never used before (got them from Amazon since there are no Indian markets near me). Do you take them out of the dish before serving like bay leaves?
Richa
You can take them out before serving. You can also eat them, but they are a bit chewy.
Leslie
Just made this for dinner. Love the unique flavour that the cinnamon brings! It kept my 11 year old guessing, but she loved it too. She already asked if we can make it again in the future, and we definitely will.
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Emily
This was sooooooo incredibly delicious
Vegan Richa Support
thank you! glad you enjoyed!
Menaka
Hi Richa, been trying to make a lof your dishes lately. Tried this dal recipe since I wanted to change the usual taste.
I got loads of compliments ☺️
My brother said he couldn’t describe the taste since his mouth was bursting with flavour!
Thank youuu! You got an amazing talent!
Vegan Richa Support
yay! 🙂
lipwe
We commonly add Pandan leaves (Pandanus amaryllifolius) to lentil curry, in addition to curry leaves. Also, pearl onions are preferable to red onions.
Ashwini P
Hai
Instead of red lentil which Dal can I use
Richa
Moong dal
Sharon
Beautiful
Vegan Richa Support
Please do add a rating when you make again!
Alice
To substitute for curry leaves (can’t find them) should I use Indian or Italian bay leaves? Thanks!
Richa
Indian
Biek
Delicious soup! Will gon on my favourites list. Had no fenugreek seeds so left these out. Added some extra santen (solid block coconut cream) to add some creaminess.
Vegan Richa Support
YUM
JC
Absolutely delicious! Next time I will reduce the amount of water added as we prefer a curry to a soup and the flavour changed slightly when reducing it.
Vegan Richa Support
thank you
arati
amazing recipe – so easy and so very delicious
loved it
thank you
Lynn Pall
Awesome go to recipe! I’ve made this every couple of weeks for over a year. Really FABULOUS!!!!
Vegan Richa Support
wow consistency pays off. thank you!
Rebecca
This is my 3yo’s favourite dal. It is delicious and easy to make. Thanks.
Vegan Richa Support
awwww so cute,
Eva
If using a white onion, should I adjust any spicing? Thank you!
Matt
I made this for dinner tonight. Good recipe – It’s very authentic Sri Lankan style parripu!
Julia
Love this! My biggest problem is getting the temperature right so that the mustard seeds pop without burning 🙂 I’ve made it many times and it always gets a thumbs up from the family. Thank you, Richa.
Richa
Yes there is a fine balance there. Heat the oil over medium heat. Sometimes in a hurry, we can tend toheat over higher heat and the oil gets to a more hotter state where it will pop the seeds really hard and quickly burn them. Over medium, oil takes longer to heat up, but the heat inthe oil is more distributed and pops the seeds lightly and doesnt burn them.
Julia
Thanks for the advice. I will try to be more patient!
Pauline
This is a keeper! Tonight I needed something healthy and fast and wow did this recipe deliver. I used the instant pot version which resulted in a wonderfully creamy consistency with great flavour. I will make this one again and double or triple it to have leftovers.
Thank you Richa for another great recipe. I have your second cookbook and love it.
Richa
awesome!
Ellie
Delicious
Daniela
I made this tonight and it’s hands down the best red lentil curry I’ve ever made. It tasted so yummy with the addition of pumpkin, carrots and cauliflower too. This one will definitely be on repeat. Thanks!
Richa
awesome!
Alicia
This was AMAZING! My family was wowed — our favorite dal I’ve ever made. If you were picking your favorite dal (aside from this one) which one would you recommend I try next? I have your latest cookbook as well, but not your first cookbook yet. Thank you for the time and effort you put into sharing recipes — it it pretty awesome to create something that tastes restaurant-worthy. 🙂
Richa
Awesome!! I love the sabut masoor. https://www.veganricha.com/2015/10/sabut-masoor-ki-daal-lentil-soup.html this is a variation of mymom’s recipe. The lentils are generally overcooked as thats how i like them but you can cook them to your texture preference.
Dal fry is a weekend fave https://www.veganricha.com/2015/07/dal-fry-spiced-indian-lentil-soup.html
and mom’s moong dal tadka is super simple and super delicious https://www.veganricha.com/2013/07/split-mung-bean-stew-yellow-mung-dal.html
Alicia
Thank you – I’m adding them to my menu plan now!
Verene
I just made this recipe tonight for the second time, and it’s definitely one of my new favorites! The spices are unusual, interesting, and balanced just right, as with all the dal recipes I’ve made from Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen! (I’ve been ordering fresh curry leaves online, I have dried red chiles from the farmer’s market, and found fenugreek seeds at a local co-op, PCC.) Last time I doubled the recipe so I could have leftovers, which I ate with some chopped steamed broccoli stirred in; it was so comforting and delicious. Wonderful recipe, please keep them coming!
Richa
Thats awesome!
Vishal
Awesome recipe….whole family loved it. Thanks
Martie
Wow ! I just made this, and what a flavorful dish! I used brown mustard seeds as that is what I have. Would this affect the taste much from your version? I am not sure of the difference between seeds.
Thank you so much, I can’t believe how easy it was and that I was able to make something that tastes that amazing!
Cat
I made this last night and it was delicious. I added a few cubes of frozen spinach and some mushrooms about 10 minutes before the end, and served with homemade naans. The flavours in this dish are different to my usual curries and I can’t wait to make it again – in a big batch!
Richa
Great Additions! Yes the sri lankan spice mix in this is flavorful and wonderful
Javiera
Great recipe!!!! I love this Red Lentil Curry with warm basmati rice! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Vanissa
Um..how many tomatoes do we need?
Richa
1 tomato. its is listed right above lemon juice.
Ivan
Fantastic recipe and so simple to make. I do prefer a soup to the thick lentil curry, so I added a little more water and coconut milk to my version. I also included a little ginger and garlic to the onion fry section, and a half green chilly for that subtle bite. Oh and I doubled up the entire recipe as it always comes out so good, but so little!
Richa
Awesome! there is quite some heat with the peppers. You can add more to preference.
Carol
Hello. I made this and it was fabulous! Thank you so much
Richa
Awesome! Thanks!
Jason
Just made this and it is amazing!! This is what I need in the winter! Thanks.
Richa
Awesome.
Liz
This looks so delicious! I wasn’t able to get curry leaves. I do have a couple different curry powders. I also only have ground mustard seed and fenugreek as opposed to whole seeds. Any advice to modify the recipe given the substitutions? I’d like to make this tonight or tomorrow.
Richa
Hi Liz, curry leaves are very different from curry powder. Curry powder is just spices and doesnt contain curry leaves. You can use 1-2 bay leaves. you can mix the ground mustard with the ground spices. use the same amount in ground to begin with. Add more ground spices later once you taste.
Jessica
Hi Richa – Do I have to grind the fenugreek seeds or can I add the whole?
Richa
Grind them. grind them with the black pepper, chili and turmeric. Whole seeds will take a long time to release the flavor. you can use a mortar and pestle and make a coarsely crushed mixture, or use a small blender.
Claudia
This recipe is the bomb.com
Made this last night, using coconut milk for the majority of liquid, and served it with homemade naan. Guess what will be dinner again tonight?!
Richa
yay!!
Fran
I just made this, doubled the recipe, and it’s wonderful..love the slow heat of the dried chili. I did find even after soaking the red lentils overnight that I needed more cooking time & fluid. Do you have any suggestions for topping/serving?
Richa
Hi Fran, what lentils did you use? These are quick cooking red lentils (split lentils). Sometimes the brand labels whole red lentils also as red lentils. If you are using whole lentils, they will take anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes to get done and will need more water.
I serve this over rice or with a side of roasted veggies and flatbread. You can garnish it with toasted coconut and serve with crackers or buttery dinner rolls as well.
Anjali @ Vegetarian Gastronomy
This looks great Richa! Love red lentil dals.
Richa
this one is different than the usual punjabi style I make and it fabulous. try it!
Michelle
How long do you soak the lentils for ?
Richa
for the 10 minutes it takes the next few steps. i will update the recipe.
Vaishak
Hi Richa,
Saw this post from Google+ page. Got curious about how a srilankan dal recipe would look like.
It is very similar to dish we in India Make.
Will try it some time. Thank you for sharing…
Regards
Vaishak S
Richa
yes indeed, lots of similarities between Indian and Sri lankan cuisines
Jane Swart
I only eat foods with no added oils, so I would just leave the oil out and dry roast the spices. I’d add soy milk instead of the coconut milk and think this would still work for me. It looks amazing!
Richa
great.
Pongodhall
This sounds really good, I gave all the ingredients so…. Vegetable pancakes in fridge already so dinner is done tonight!
Richa
Awesome!
judee@ Gluten Free A-Z Blog
I have about 3 version of red lentil soup that I make, but yours looks amazing! The spices are much different from the one’s I make. I’ll have to try it if I can find all the spices!
Richa
its mainly fenugreek seeds an whole cinnamon. fenugreek seeds are used in Indian and other asian and middle eastern cuisines, so definitely get some. They are easily available online or in Indian stores.
Mary
Are the curry leaves or is there an acceptable substitute?
Richa
There isnt really a good sub for curry leaves, You can use 1 bay leaf in the recipe. It will be different than this sri lankan flavor profile, but will taste great.
Cassie
I’ve been looking for a vegan curry recipe! So yummy!
Fran
I don’t have fenugreek ~ any substitutes?
Richa
use garlic. Add chopped garlic with the onion or garlic powder later when the onions are cooked.
Carol
I have substitutes fennel seeds for fenugreek…..Google and you should find more substitutes
Chelsey
Yum! I love a good Dal. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Richa
Thanks!
Samantha @ The Planted Vegan
Yummm! Love all the spices and flavors in this recipe..can’t wait to try it out!
Richa
Great!