This quick vegan mushroom curry has a rich and creamy sauce that is simple to make and highly nutritious. Perfect with rice for a midweek family dinner.
This is a traditional British curry, in that it’s completely inauthentic and bears only a passing resemblance to anything served on the Indian sub-continent.
However, this lentil and mushroom curry recipe is quick, simple to make, highly nutritious and vegan, so it’s not all bad!
Spicy and creamy mushroom curry
Another really great thing about this tasty vegan curry is that you can easily adjust the spice levels of this dish to your own preference. Simply choose a hotter or milder curry paste as you and your family prefer.
The lentils and coconut in the sauce make everything lovely and creamy without the addition of any dairy products. However, if you’re not strictly vegan, you might enjoy a dollop of natural yogurt or some cool raita on the top.
Picky eater?
My daughter Kipper typically says she doesn’t like curry, and then wolfs it down.
In this case, she was picking at the rice, and I encouraged her to just try a mushroom, just one, and see. She nibbled it gingerly, like she didn’t trust it.
“It’s yukky!” she announced. Then she had another nibble. And another. The mushroom was gone.
Why don’t you try another mushroom and see if that one’s better? I suggested.
She did. “This one’s yummy!” she said, through a mouthful of mushroom curry. Her father and I agreed that it was a shame that she’d initially got the one horrible mushroom in the whole curry, but we were glad she persevered. She ate all her mushrooms after that.
Ingredients for making lentil and mushroom curry
This tasty curry is mostly made from store cupboard ingredients. To make it for your family you will need:
- Mushrooms – hard to make a mushroom curry without!
- Onions
- Red lentils
- Vegetable oil – I usually use sunflower but choose your favourite.
- Curry paste – choose one with a level of heat/spice that your family is comfortable with
- Vegetable stock
- Creamed coconut – this comes in a block, and is solid, not to be confused with coconut cream
- Rice, and chopped parsley or coriander (cilantro) to serve.
This makes enough lentil and mushroom curry for 3-4 people. The leftovers are great for lunch – I had them on toast!
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📖 Recipe
Lentil and mushroom curry with coconut
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions
- 450 g mushrooms
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3-4 tablespoon curry paste (choose one with a heat rating that appeals to you)
- 85 g red lentils
- 400 ml hot vegetable stock
- 50 g sachet of creamed coconut
- Cooked rice and chopped coriander or flat-leaf parsley to serve
Instructions
- 2 medium onions, 450 g (16 oz) mushroomsPeel the onions and slice into crescents. Brush any dirt from the mushrooms and cut them in half.
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oilHeat the oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until they too are beginning to turn brown – about 5-6 minutes in total. You may need to add another tablespoon or two of oil if the pan is looking dry.
- 3-4 tablespoon curry paste, 85 g (½ cup) red lentils, 400 ml (1 ⅔ cups) hot vegetable stock, 50 g (1 ¾ oz) sachet of creamed coconutAdd the curry paste to the onions and mushrooms, and fry, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Add the lentils, vegetable stock and creamed coconut, and mix well.
- Bring to the boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the lentils are fully cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent the lentils sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Cooked rice and chopped coriander or flat-leaf parsley to serveServe with rice, and chopped parsley or coriander.
Notes
Nutrition
More delicious family-friendly recipes
If you love this tasty curry, you’ll probably also enjoy:
- Child-approved vegan cauliflower and chickpea curry
- Deliciously comforting feel-good fish curry
And if it’s the lentils you’re after, why not try:
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