South Indian Chicken and Lentil Curry
A beautifully balanced South Indian curry with chicken, red lentils, green beans and spinach in a fragrant coconut and tomato base with curry leaves and mustard seeds.
Ingredients
- 3 tsp red chilli flakes
- 3 tbsp desiccated coconut
- 150ml boiling water
- 150g red onion, chopped
- 450g tomatoes, chopped
- 9 cloves garlic, peeled
- 38g ginger
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1½ tsp turmeric powder
- 18 curry leaves (optional)
- 225g red lentils, dried and thoroughly washed
- 1.5 cans coconut milk
- 450ml vegetable stock
- 900g chicken fillet, cut into 4cm pieces
- 450g green beans, halved
- 225g baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 45g coriander, roughly chopped
- 3 limes, cut into wedges
Original recipe: https://www.thedoctorskitchen.com/recipes/south-indian-style-monkfish-and-lentil-curry
Raven’s note
The recipe calls for monkfish, and I substituted in chicken for it. Feel free to change it back, or not include it at all and keep it vegetarian.
Method
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Soak the lentils in cold water for 10–15 minutes — this makes them more digestible and speeds up cooking. Drain and rinse well.
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While the lentils soak, boil the kettle and make the paste: soak the chilli flakes and desiccated coconut in the boiling water for 5 minutes, then add to a blender with the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, onion, salt, and pepper. Blitz until smooth.
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Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, and curry leaves. Let the spices temper for about 1 minute until fragrant — keep the heat low and watch closely so they don’t burn.
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Add the paste and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring regularly.
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Add the drained lentils, coconut milk, and vegetable stock. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until the lentils are soft.
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Add the chicken and green beans. Cook for 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the spinach and cook for a further minute until wilted.
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Serve in bowls topped with coriander and lime wedges. This dish gets even better the next day once the flavours have had time to develop, and it freezes well.