Lentils are a staple food in Greek cuisine and also play an important role in the Mediterranean diet. They are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. In Greece, they are usually served as a soup; leftovers are often enriched with rice to make a complete lunch for the next day.

Lately, I’ve been looking for healthy, low-calorie, but high-protein dishes, as my doctor advised me to lose some weight. That’s how I came across a very appealing recipe with red lentils.It is easy and quick to prepare and is also suitable for a vegan diet.

Since I still had some coconut milk in my supplies (I thought it was milk, but it turned out to be cream), I decided to try the recipe.

To be honest, my husband is not a big fan of Asian cuisine, but he enjoyed this dish and agreed to cook it again someday.

The difference between coconut milk and coconut cream is that coconut milk is thinner, contains less fat, and is best suited for curry dishes, while coconut cream is more concentrated and is typically used to thicken curries. A cup of coconut cream has 792 calories, while the same amount of coconut milk contains only 552 calories.

Depending on the quality of the red lentils, I recommend checking them occasionally while cooking. Some require less cooking time, others more, to become tender. The first time I made this dish, the lentils were cooked after 15 minutes. Some lentils may need longer, so you might need to add a little vegetable broth.

It can be served with rice and/or with fried chicken fillet.

What you need:
2 garlic cloves
1 piece of fresh ginger (appr. 2cm)
250gr cherry tomatoes
250gr red lentils
1 Tbsp sesame oil
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp curry powder
400ml coconut milk
250ml vegetable broth
Salt
Pepper
2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice

How to prepare:
Chop the garlic finely, peel and grate the ginger, cut the cherry tomatoes in halves or quarters (depending on the size), rinse the lentils under water.

In a pot heat the sesame oil on medium heat. Add the garlic and the ginger and let fry for appr. 1 minute.

Add the cumin, cinnamon and curry powder and let roast for one more minute. Add the coconut milk, the vegetable broth, the tomatoes and the lentils.

Bring to a brief boil, cover and simmer over medium heat until the lentils are soft.

Remove from the heat, add salt and pepper to taste and stir in the lime or lemon juice.

Nutrition breakdown:
Total nutrition 1466 kcal
Per serving (makes 4 servings)
366,5kcal – proteins 19,6gr – fat 17,2gr – fibers 10,3gr – carbohydrates 31,7gr – sodium 149,3 mg