Creamy coconut lentil curry with crispy halloumi
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 2 (or 3 if served with rice or bread)
A super speedy lentil curry dish with crispy golden cubes of halloumi on top. This is the ultimate example of how good food really doesn’t need to take that long! This recipe will serve 2 hearty portions on its own or, if served with rice or bread, it can serve 3.
Each serving provides 853 kcal, 29g protein, 31.1g carbohydrate (of which 10.9g sugars), 65.4g fat (of which 42g saturates), 11g fibre and 1.95g salt.
Ingredients
- 1–2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 leek, finely sliced
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped, plus extra green chilli, thinly sliced, to garnish (optional)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional or adjust to preferred heat)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 400g tin green lentils, drained and rinsed
- 400ml tin coconut milk
- ½–1 lime, juice only
- 1 tsp butter (optional)
- 100–125g/3½–4½oz halloumi, cut into small cubes
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
- freshly cooked rice or warmed flatbreads, to serve (optional)
Method
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and toast for 30 seconds. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, leek and chilli. Cook for around 5 minutes, or until softened – ideally the leeks should be just charred.
Sprinkle in the turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin and cayenne, if using. Stir for another 30 seconds–1 minute.
Stir in the tomato purée, lentils and coconut milk. Season generously with salt and pepper and add the lime juice. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add the butter for extra creaminess, if using.
Meanwhile, fry the halloumi cubes in a non-stick frying pan for a couple of minutes on each side until golden and crisp.
Serve the lentils in bowls and top with the crispy halloumi pieces, fresh coriander, green chilli slices and a final crack of black pepper. Enjoy as is or serve with some rice or flatbreads.
Recipe tips
To speed up prep, blend the onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli together in a food processor.
If batch cooking or making ahead, the cooked lentils will store in the fridge in an airtight container for 3–4 days. Store the fried halloumi cubes in a separate container or just quickly fry before serving to keep it fresh.
The curry, without the halloumi, can be frozen for up to 2 months. Fry the halloumi just before serving.
