I am a big fan of curries, and love that whether you make your own curry spice, or buy curry spice at the store, every spice blend is always slightly different from the next. I use my own blend of spices in my recipe for Cauliflower Coconut Curry, so if you are looking for some curry spice inspiration, that is a great place to start (in that recipe, I use a combination of cumin, turmeric, mustard powder, cinnamon, cloves, hot chilli power, ground ginger and garlic powder). In this recipe on the other hand, I saved some time and used Curry Spice from Ganesha Foods, which is a fantastic blend of organic herbs and spices, but feel free to use your own favourite curry powder to make this recipe your own!

I particularly love how simple this recipe is, and that it is a pretty low maintenance meal to prepare – once you have prepped your vegetables, there is very little hands-on time required, just a couple stirs here and there. It makes for a flavorful meal to whip together in a pinch, or when you just want to spend less time in the kitchen. I used red lentils in this recipe to thicken the dish, so it will resemble the consistency of dal (a lentil puree dish), but I added some extra depth to the curry with added chickpeas and other vegetables. 

1 tsp Olive Oil

1 Onion, Diced

1 Tbsp Curry Powder

3/4 Cup Red Lentils

1 1/2 Cups Water

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Medium Tomato, Diced

1 Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper, Diced

1 1/2 Cups Chickpeas, cooked or canned & drained and rinsed

1/4 Cup Cilantro, plus more for garnish

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a medium sauce pan. Add the onions, and sauté for approximately 3-5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. 

Stir in the curry powder until the onions are all coated. 

Add the water, lentils, and salt, and bring to a boil. 

Stir the lentils to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot, then reduce the heat to low, and cover with a lid.  Simmer for 10 minutes. 

Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Cover again and simmer for an additional 20 minutes. 

Stir in the cilantro just before serving.

Enjoy!