This black lentil curry is everything a curry should be: warming, rich, and creamy with subtle earthy and nutty notes, and downright delicious! This black lentil recipe is reminiscent of the dal makhani from your favorite Indian restaurant - but we swap out the hefty amounts of butter and heavy cream for the velvety richness of coconut milk. The result is a simple-to-make and luscious curry that's packed with flavor!
Ingredients
1cupdried whole urad dal, black lentils
¼cupdried black chickpeas, see notes
1tablespooncoconut oil
1largeonion, finely minced
2inchpiece ginger, finely minced
4clovesgarlic, finely minced
2teaspoonscumin seeds and ground coriander
3mediumtomatoes, finely chopped
1teaspoonEACH: garam masala and curry powder
½teaspoonEACH: turmeric and chili powder
1teaspoonsea salt
15ouncecan coconut milk
Instructions
Place the urad dal and black chickpeas in a pot and cover with a few inches of water. Set aside to soak for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.
1 cup dried whole urad dal, ¼ cup dried black chickpeas
Drain the water from the pot and add fresh water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover the pot, and let it cook until the chickpeas are soft, about 1 hour. Drain and rinse.
Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the cumin seeds and coriander to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until the oil begins to glisten, about 5 minutes.
1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 large onion, 2 inch piece ginger, 4 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons cumin seeds and ground coriander, 3 medium tomatoes
Add 1 cup of water, the garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, chili powder, salt, and the cooked urad lentils and black chickpeas to the pan and stir. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
1 teaspoon EACH: garam masala and curry powder, ½ teaspoon EACH: turmeric and chili powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt
Using the back of a spoon, mash a few of the lentils. Stir in the coconut milk and heat through. Taste and add more salt if you'd like.
15 ounce can coconut milk
Notes
Black chickpeas, also known as Kala Channa or Bengal Gram, are similar to regular chickpeas only smaller and brown in color. If you can't find them, you can substitute regular chickpeas. If you sub canned chickpeas you will not need to cook them.