A delicious and comforting spicy lentil dhal. It’s perfect for the cold, dark and wet winter months. Packed full of nutrients, this kill a cold lentil curry may help ward off or alleviate the symptoms of colds and flu.
CT has a cold and I can feel a sore throat coming. In a bid to alleviate CT’s symptoms and stop myself from developing the cold, I’m turning to my all time favourite comfort food, dhal. In this instance it’s made with split red lentils, but pretty much any pulse will do.
So for National Curry Week, I give you this Kill a Cold Lentil Curry with Kale & Red Peppers. Whether it will stop a cold in its tracks remains to be seen, but it’s a killer for flavour and full on satisfaction.
Dhal or Dal if you Prefer
Lentil curry is such a versatile dish. I make it a lot and it’s different each time. Fry the onions and spices first, then add the lentils and cook. Cook the lentils first then add the fried onions at the end. Throw in your favourite spices. Use coconut milk or not. You can also include whichever vegetables you have to hand or just cook it plain.
One of the most memorable lentil dhals I ever had was back in my student days. I was an active member of the local Friends of the Earth group and some of us used to meet at a lovely Indian gentleman’s house. Back in the day, he had accompanied Satish Kumar on part of his 8,000 mile Peace Walk around India and then on to Moscow, Paris, London and Washington in a bid to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
He always cooked us a lentil curry and chucked in whatever vegetables happened to be in season, including Brussels sprouts. It was always delicious.
My mother has been a big curry fan ever since her student days in Edinburgh. When I was young, it was always lentil curry with plenty of garlic she turned to at the slightest sign of a sniffle. I loved it then and love it now.
Kill a Cold Lentil Curry
For this kill a cold lentil curry, I’ve included lots of garlic, ginger, chilli and turmeric, all of which strengthen the immune system. Nutrient rich kale and red peppers can only make things better. I served the dhal with brown basmati rice and some yoghurt. Everything was organic for additional nutrition and mineral content.
Two of the ingredients we grew ourselves. Our gardening endeavours this year have been highly unsuccessful. Pretty much everything we planted has been eaten by wildlife of one sort or another. Our garlic crop, which we’ve kept going for over ten years now was thankfully untouched. Another stalwart is our tree kale, but any kale is good in this dhal.
For another spin on lentil curry, try my roasted carrots and lentil curry made with whole lentils.
National Curry Week
As well as this being National Curry Week, it’s also National Rice Week and International Year of Pulses. So my lentil curry served with brown basmati rice hits all three. As if that isn’t enough, it’s also National Chocolate Week and you’ll find my post to celebrate this event coming very soon.
Other Recipes for Vegan Curries You Might Like
- Bunny chow (bean curry in a bread bowl)
- Cauliflower and potato curry (aloo gobi)
- Green split pea curry
- Spinach chickpea curry
- Thai green curry
- Vegetable curry for a low histamine diet
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this kill a cold lentil curry, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more lentil recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
If you like my lentil curry recipe, why not pin it for later?
Kill a Cold Lentil Curry – The Recipe
Kill a Cold Lentil Curry or Dhal
Ingredients
- 8 oz split red lentils soaked in water if possible
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 plump cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cm knob root ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp curry powder (I use Steenburg's Madras)
- ½-1 tsp sea salt according to taste
- good grinding of black pepper
- 400 g tinned coconut milk
- 1 red pepper deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 handful kale leaves washed and roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 large onion peeled and finely sliced
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji) (also known as kalonji) or black mustard seeds
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils well. Place in a large pan with the bay leaf and just cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft and have collapsed.
- After ten minutes add the garlic, spices, salt, pepper and vegetables. You may need to add a little more water at this stage if the lentils are looking dry. Stir and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and simmer for a further few minutes until everything is cooked to perfection.
- Meanwhile fry the onions gently in the coconut oil for 15 minutes or so until they have caramelised.
- Add the cumin and kalonji seeds after the first 5 minutes and stir from time to time.
- Just before serving, stir half of the onions into the dhal, then scatter the rest over the top.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Linkies
I’m sending my kill a cold lentil curry to Jac at Tinned Tomatoes for Meat Free Mondays. And, as I made enough for two nights running, I’m also sending my dhal to Corina at Searching for Spice for Cook Once Eat Twice.
Kayla DiMaggio says
Loving this lentil curry! It is so warm and healthy! It is the perfect cozy meal!
Choclette says
Yes, absolutely. Something for the colder months and bound to give everyone a bit of a lift.
Tavo says
I am loving this recipe! Just what I needed with the cold weather knocking on the doors! My throat was itchy and this felt just like the right meal to eat!
Choclette says
So glad it helped. I’m sure some of it is psychological, but it always makes me feel better.
Monika Dabrowski says
This dish looks so delicious and is full of goodness, which for me is an ideal combination when it comes to food:)
Choclette says
I’m with you there Monika, there’s nothing quite like good food cooked well. Thank you 🙂
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Oh wow this curry looks and sounds amazing! This is going on my to try list! x #cookonceeattwice
Choclette says
Thanks Kirsty, it’s one of my go to dishes 🙂
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Most definitely the perfect comfort food and even if it doesn’t cure the cold, it will certainly make you feel loved!
I can confirm Jacqueline’s tip about zinc above. I usually take it through the winter and it definitely cuts down the number of infections….. Unfortunately this year I managed to have the most hideous flu-type bug which lasted the best part of the month and started in September (before the time when I usually hit the zinc)! x
Choclette says
Ah that’s interesting Kate. Maybe I should get CT onto the Zinc. He’s the one that tends to suffer more than me. I’ve managed to avoid the cold, but CT has had his for nearly 2 weeks ago. However, he’s not suffering with it nearly as badly as he often does. We’ve upped our intake of turmeric and other spices a lot in the last few weeks. Sorry to hear you had nearly a month of it. We were both completely knocked out with flue a couple of years ago and it lasted a month – horrible.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I love dal, we eat it a lot. This is quite similar to my spinach and coconut dal but I use cumin, ginger and coriander instead of curry powder. I love all your toppings. Hope it worked. My tip, try taking zinc tablets every day. It builds your immune system. It’s a good top up.
Choclette says
Dhal is such a brilliant vegetarian standby with the added bonus of it being vegan too. Thanks of the zinc tip. i’m not too keen on taking tablets, but will research what I can eat to get more zinc into our diets.
Dom says
I’m sorry CT isn’t feel well, I too am on the brink, I can just tell! This curry would be a perfect cure. I love Dhal. I love the way it’s heady aroma hits you in the back of the throat. I need some of this now… right, off to the shops!
Choclette says
Make some quick Dom. CT’s cold didn’t hit him nearly as bad as it often does and I have managed to stave it off – so far! Lots of finger crossing going on.
Katie says
I love lentil curry! I first made it from a red lentil curry recipe in Food 52’s “Genius Recipes” cookbook. Looks like it would certainly take out a cold.
Choclette says
It’s amazing stuff Katie. Crossing fingers, but it looks as though it might have worked.
Camilla Hawkins says
Love the ingredients in this curry and perfect for autumn going into winter. Crossing fingers I don’t catch a cold any time soon!
Choclette says
Indeed not Camilla, colds are horrid things and flu a lot worse. Crossing fingers, but this seems to have worked.
Charlie @ The Kitchen Shed says
Love the name of this. I used to make a ‘cure a cold soup’ so I shall have to try this curry too!
Choclette says
Ooh, what was in your cure a cold soup Charlie?
Janice says
That certainly should warm you up and hopefully keep the cold away!
Choclette says
Thanks Janice – feeling OK so far *searches desperately for some wood*.
Helen @ family-friends-food.com says
It looks incredible! I love lentils, especially now it’s getting colder, they’re so filling and warming. Yum.
Choclette says
Thanks Helen. Lentils are just brilliant and they make for a nice cheap meal too.
Corina says
This looks like the perfect curry for when you’re feeling a little under the weather and it’s making me hungry for my own vegetable curry tonight which is sitting in the slow cooker as I write! I do love all the colours in this one too. Thank you so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Choclette says
Thanks Corina. Great minds and all that or maybe it’s just the curry season 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Warming, comforting and delicious! I love this lentil curry.
Choclette says
Thank you Angie. Thankfully, so did I as we had it two evenings on the trot.
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com says
YUM! Love a good lentil curry, and this one certainly does look like a good one 🙂 Eb x
Choclette says
Thanks Eb. I can’t resist lentil curry!
Chris @thinlyspread says
A good, spicy, warm you to the bones curry is very hard to beat and I too always turn to dahl when someone is under the weather! Thanks so much for linking to my baked bean curry – your student stories made me smile, baked bean curry was the first thing H cooked for me when we were students!
Choclette says
Oh, I can see the attachment to baked bean curry now. Although it sounds very good in its own right. Dahl is an excellent story teller, so a great writer to turn to when feeling ill 😉
Cathy @ Planet Veggie says
I always eat spicy food when I’ve got a cold – I’m a firm believer that it cures it. Although, my main go-to is a chilli pizza with a can of Coke, so possibly a tad unhealthier than your curry 😉
Choclette says
Thanks Cathy, you’ve really made me giggle. Just what I need at the moment.