Bowl of red lentil curry with bell pepper, lime and coriander

Red Lentil Curry with Bell Pepper and Turmeric

Name: Red Lentil Curry with Bell Pepper and Turmeric
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 250 g red lentils; 1 onion; 2 garlic cloves; 1 piece of ginger (2 cm); 1 red bell pepper; 1 can coconut milk (400 ml); 1 can chopped tomatoes (400 g); 500 ml vegetable stock; 1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil; 2 tsp turmeric; 1 tsp ground cumin; ½ tsp black pepper; 1 lime; Fresh coriander (cilantro) or parsley

Simon Gütter 5 min read

Red lentils, coconut milk and turmeric with pepper – plus bell pepper and lime, so the iron actually gets absorbed.

Time: 40 min, 15 min activeMakes: 4 servingsNo Thermomix needed: standard kitchen equipment

Why this recipe is good for you

Curcumin from turmeric is one of the best-studied plant-based anti-inflammatories. Together with black pepper and fat – here oil and coconut milk – it is absorbed far better. Read more
Cooked lentils provide 3.3 milligrams of iron per 100 grams. Vitamin C from the bell pepper and lime in the same meal can raise the absorption of plant-based iron to two to three times as much. Read more
Better to drink coffee or black tea at a distance from the meal: with food, coffee reduces iron absorption by up to 39 percent. Read more

Ingredients

Curry

250 g red lentils
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 piece of ginger (2 cm)
1 red bell pepper
1 can coconut milk (400 ml)
1 can chopped tomatoes (400 g)
500 ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil

Spices

2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp black pepper
1 lime
Fresh coriander (cilantro) or parsley

Equipment you need

Large pot
Sieve
Chopping board and knife
Grater

Method

Chop the garlic: Finely chop the garlic cloves first and leave them to sit. After about ten minutes most of the allicin has formed, and then the garlic can handle the heat.
Rinse the lentils: Rinse the lentils in a sieve until the water runs clear.
Onion, ginger, bell pepper: Dice the onion, grate the ginger and cut the bell pepper into strips. Set the bell pepper aside.
Toast the spices: Fry the onion in the oil for three minutes, add the ginger, turmeric, cumin and pepper, and toast everything for one more minute.
Simmer the curry: Add the garlic, lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk and stock, and let everything simmer for 15 minutes, until the lentils break down. (15 minutes)
Add the bell pepper: Stir in the bell pepper strips and let them cook for five minutes, so they keep some bite.
Season with lime: Add the lime juice and chopped herbs, and season with salt.