This vegan tofu and lentil curry is an easy, one-pot meal that’s dairy-free, gluten-free, and high-protein! With luxurious coconut cream, sour tamarind, and creamy red lentils, even die-hard meat lovers will enjoy this flavourful dish. Perfect for vegans, vegetarians, during Great Lent or other fasting periods, or if you just want a delicious, hearty vegan curry!
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Tofu and Lentil Curry
Now, I know some people are hesitant to cook with tofu. I was once one of them! But trust me, you need zero special skills to make this vegan tofu and lentil curry. Just some chopping, sautéing, stirring, and a teensy bit of patience is all you need!
It truly is such an easy one-pot vegan meal, and an easy way to cook with tofu!
And truth be told, I find many tofu dishes to be somewhat bland (not the tofu’s fault – it’s what the tofu is in!). But this curry packs so many aromatics that it’s truly a flavour-bomb of a dish! You’ve got:
- Sourness from the tamarind (I could honestly eat it out of the jar!)
- Sweetness from the honey (substitute with maple syrup or agave syrup if you do not eat honey).
- Richness from the coconut cream (always coconut cream, never coconut milk for me!)
- Crunch and texture from the veggies (and from the crunchy peanuts on top!)
- Creaminess from the tofu and red lentils (for protein, fibre, nutrients, and to thicken the curry).
Served with rice, this vegan tofu and lentil curry is as hearty as it is packed with flavour. And as two people who mostly eat animal-based, my husband and I truly look forward to this delicious curry every Great Lent, Nativity Fast, or other fasting period in the Orthodox calendar. It’s just that good!
We also look forward to this vegan pumpkin, chickpea and coconut curry with sticky-sweet caramelised pumpkin that makes for an equally flavourful, hearty vegan curry!
Ingredients in Vegan Tofu and Lentil Curry
Of course, you’ll need tofu! Hard tofu is best since it keeps its shape and absorbs the flavours of the curry beautifully. Here is the one I buy from Woolies. You need one whole pack for this recipe so you can easily scale it if batch-cooking!
You’ll also need dried red lentils, which are commonly used in many Indian dal recipes. No need to soak them, they cook rather quickly! Although for the extra health benefits, soak them if you have the time! Soaking makes the lentils more nutritious and easily digestible, and the minerals more bioavailable.
For the base, you need onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, tamarind purée, and honey. You can substitute with maple syrup or agave syrup if you do not eat honey.
And if you’ve never heard of tamarind, it’s a fruit pod that comes from the tamarind tree.
The pulp inside the fruit is a sour, sticky, sweet paste, and it’s absolutely delicious! It’s a key ingredient in many Asian and Indian dishes. Above is the one I buy, available at Coles or Woolies!
You’ll also need coconut cream. I prefer Ayam brand (available at Coles or Woolies) since it’s 100% coconut. All other brands I’ve seen have food thickeners, emulsifiers or vegetable gums in them which can contribute to gut inflammation, but they also have a slightly oily taste. The Ayam brand is pricier because of this, but tastes purely of coconut!
For the spices, you’ll need turmeric, cumin, curry powder, coriander powder, salt and pepper.
And for the veg, you could use whatever you like! But for the colour and the crunch factor, I use green beans and carrots.
Optional (but highly recommended) garnishes are crushed salted peanuts and fresh coriander. Of course, any nuts will do if you avoid peanuts!
How to Make this Vegan Tofu and Lentil Curry
One of my favourite things about this curry is that it’s such an easy vegan one-pot meal! Less clean-up, straightforward and simple to make. It’s perfect for a busy weeknight family dinner!
First, make the base by sautéing the garlic, ginger and onion in some coconut oil. Then add the spices, and stir to coat.
Add the tomato paste, and fresh chopped tomatoes and simmer to make a luscious, thick sauce.
Next add the cubed tofu, and stir so each cube is coated in flavour!
Then add the coconut cream, honey, tamarind purée, and red lentils.
Simmer until the lentils are cooked, stirring frequently so the bottom doesn’t burn. You want the lentils to be just a touch overcooked so they burst apart and thicken up the curry. This is the kind of creamy texture you’re looking for!
Add the green beans and carrots at the end just for a few minutes so they’re still crunchy. Add some hot water to loosen the curry, and that’s it!
Told you there was no special skill involved😋
Substitutions and Serving Your Curry
If you avoid certain ingredients, or are abstaining from certain things during Great Lent, here are some ingredient substitutions for this vegan tofu and lentil curry.
- Instead of honey, you can use maple syrup or agave syrup.
- Instead of tofu, you can use prawns (pop them in with your veggies at the end so they don’t overcook). Of course, not vegan, but allowed during Great Lent along with other shellfish.
- Instead of fresh tomatoes, you can use canned chopped tomatoes.
- Instead of tamarind purée, you can use a squeeze of lime mixed with a pinch of brown sugar.
- Instead of green beans and carrots, use any vegetables you like! I like the contrast of the crunchy veg, but anything you have on hand will work. Capsicum (bell peppers) would be a lovely addition.
- Instead of red lentils, you can use canned chickpeas.
- Instead of crushed peanuts for the garnish, use any salted nuts you like. Cashews pair nicely with this curry!
And if you’re looking for more vegan curry ideas, try this delightfully aromatic pumpkin, chickpea and coconut curry. It’s one of my absolute favourites!
Because this vegan tofu and lentil curry is quite hearty, you can enjoy on its own. You can also enjoy it alongside some warm pita bread or naan. Or, pair with some cauliflower rice if you’re after a low-carb bed for your curry.
But I think nothing beats eating this curry garnished with crushed peanuts, fresh coriander, served on a bed of steaming basmati rice.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe! If you tried it and loved it, I would be so grateful if you left a 5-star review and a comment to let me know how it went! xxx
Vegan Tofu and Lentil Curry (One-Pot)
Description
This vegan tofu and lentil curry is an easy, one-pot meal that's dairy-free, gluten-free, and high-protein! With luxurious coconut cream, sour tamarind, and creamy red lentils, even die-hard meat lovers will enjoy this flavourful dish. Perfect for vegans, vegetarians, during Great Lent or other fasting periods, or if you just want a delicious vegan curry!
Ingredients
See bottom of recipe post for a range of ingredient substitutions!
Method
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Heat a large pan on medium heat with the coconut oil. Fry the onion, garlic and ginger for 4-5 minutes until soft.
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Add the curry powder, coriander powder, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper, and stir for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and chopped tomatoes, and stir. Turn the heat down to low, and cook for 8-10 mins until soft, and until the tomatoes have released their juices (see Note 2).
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Meanwhile, pat any excess liquid from the tofu with a paper towel, and cut into bite-sized cubes. Add tofu to the pan, and stir to coat the cubes in the sauce.
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Pour in the coconut cream, honey, tamarind purée and scatter in the red lentils. Pop the lid on, and simmer on low for 20-25 mins until lentils are soft and breaking apart, stirring frequently so that the bottom doesn't burn. The curry will have also have thickened by this point from the lentils.You want the lentils slightly overcooked at this point so they burst. This thickens the curry and makes the texture luscious and creamy!
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Once the lentils are cooked, add your green beans and carrots and simmer for 2 minutes to keep them crunchy.
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Add a splash of hot water and stir in to loosen the curry to your liking.
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Top with crushed salted peanuts, fresh coriander and serve on a bed of steaming basmati rice. Enjoy!
Note
- 1. It's optional, but beneficial to soak your lentils if you have the time, since soaking lentils increases the bioavailability of minerals and makes them more nutritious. But, when I'm short on time I've skipped this step for this recipe, especially because it's only a small amount of lentils. But even a 1-2 hour soak in cold water is beneficial to make them more digestible, if you haven't got time for an overnight soak!
- 2. Do not rush this step! You really want the tomatoes to cook down into a sauce-like consistency. It makes all the difference and is totally worth the extra few minutes.
