pumpkin & curried red lentil curry (easy & vegan)

This is simple recipe of pumpkin with brown lentils which is both delicious and simple. You could pair it with toasted sourdough bread or with rice. Fresh pumpkin is  easily available in most seasons. There are many easy pumpkin recipes you can make with this humble ingredient.Some great dishes are pumpkin pie, pasta, halwa, pumpkin lentil soup and a wholesome pumpkin lentil curry recipe which pairs well with a big bowl of basmati rice.

Brown lentils or horse gram lentils are just red lentils with skin.  These lentils or legumes are great for protein. Just add a dash of lemon juice, on this delicious curry for an easy iron absorption.You can use a canned lentils or dried lentils for this type of recipe. Other vegan dishes that I like include green moong dal curry , plum chutney ,garlic knots , vegan dal makhni ,easy thai curry , chickpea korma curry.

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• Ingredients
• Easy pumpkin lentil curry | Lentil pumpkin curry recipe
• Related recipes
• Instructions for lentil pumpkin curry

Different types of lentil recipes

Lentils are easy to digest as well as cheap. A packet lasts long and makes multiple meals. You can make variety of dishes with lentils and never get bored.

Indian lentils for reference:

1. Moong - yellow split lentils
2. Sabut moong/Hari moong  - green gram split lentils
3. Chilke wali moong -split green gram
4. Urad dal chilka- split black  gram 
5. Kali /Maa ki dal - black gram whole lentils
6. Urad - split black gram
7. Toor /arhar - yellow pigeon peas split lentils
8. Chana -split Bengal gram
9. Masoor  -red lentils
10. kulthi - red lentils with skin,brown lentils
11. Moth - Turkish gram

Other important ones are turai dhal, lauki chana dhal, daal makhni,Yellow dal recipe sambar, rasam, amti. Dal fry & jeera rice or veg fried rice is a match made in heaven. Indian cuisine has a variety of lentils and many ways to use them. Be it as a curry, appetizer and even a dessert. See the space below to learn how to make mixed lentils.

Ingredients

For cooking lentils in pot

• Pumpkin pieces (I prefer kent pumpkin)
• Dry red lentils(with skin),also called brown lentils or horse gram lentils (soaked in water for 30 minutes)
• Tomatoes, pureed
• Ginger-garlic ,crushed
• Paprika powder/ cayenne pepper
• Curry powder
• Coconut oil / olive oil
• Can of light coconut milk (optional)
• salt as per taste
• water
• Coriander leaves (for garnish)

refer to recipe card for details.

Related recipes

• Moong dal fry recipe
• Air fried Chana dal
• Authentic Chana masala recipe | Punjabi Chole
• Kulthi dal -horse gram dal
• mix dal tadka
• moong dal chilka
• red lentil dal

Instructions for lentil pumpkin curry

• Heat oil and add pumpkin pieces to it, in a large pot or pan. You may alternatively Grill or bake them in an air fryer or oven.

• Once they are little soft, keep them aside.(we do not want them over cooked)

• In a pan, heat oil and add ginger and garlic.

• Add tomatoes and salt. Continue cooking on low heat.

• Once tomatoes soften, add paprika and curry powder.

• Cook until the spices are mixed well.

• Add the soaked and drained lentils with water. Cover and cook them.

• Cook on slow flame, until the lentils are cooked and soft. It generally takes 20-25 minutes. You can adjust the amount of water as per your choice. Add the coconut milk if you like it creamier.

• Add the grilled/baked pumpkin pieces. Give it a good stir. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes on a medium-low heat. Do not over mix else they will break apart.

• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve warm with bread or rice.

Equipment

I have used a heavy bottom pot here in this lentil pumpkin curry recipe. I recommend to use a wide vessel like the one I have used. This will allow to cook pumpkin without getting mashed into the lentils. You may also use a Dutch oven for this recipe.

Variations & Substitutions

If you like your food spicy, increase the red chili powder or red chili flakes in tempering. If you like your food mild, use paprika or Kashmiri red chilly powder which are a milder variety. You can also make use of different pumpkins like red kuri, hokkaido pumpkin if Kent pumpkin is not available. One can also add yellow onion, sweet potatoes and even bell peppers to this recipe. You can use ghee for tempering instead of oil if you are vegetarian.

Equipment

You can cook lentils in any heavy bottom pan or even a slow cooker. You can use a instant pot or a pressure cooker too. The cook time will differ depending on the equipment. Check if the lentils are ready, by mashing a spoonful by using your thumb and index finger. Otherwise let it cook for 5-10 mins. 

Storage

If you are short of time on a weeknight? Boil the lentils in a a bigger quantity which lasts  two days together. Use half and remaining the next day. Always temper the lentils fresh, it tastes perfect. If you have lots of dhal left, strain it to use water for making rasam.Use the boiled lentil to make paratha.

FAQs

Conclusion: delicious lentil pumpkin curry is one of the wholesome vegan curry recipes which goes good with naan , bread or rice.