Red lentil/ dal curry is the traditional and most famous, important curry that always take part in Sri Lankan cuisine. Cooked with coconut milk and rich in flavours with spices and herbs. The most easiest curry that can cook in less than 30 minuets and completely vegan. I’ve been noticing some videos on YouTube about dal curry, some people do the frying/tempering herbs and spices process first and add the dal to cook and some do it at last, and some add tomatoes, some use more spices than what I had used. Btw I believe all those methods are delicious but I always used to cook my mom’s recipes. This is how she cook her creamy vegan dal curry. 

We Sri Lankan eat dal with rice, bread, string hoppers, roti and etc. this is the curry that we can find at all the breakfast, lunch and dinner table. At last there’s no any rice and curry plate without dal. There’s no any meal without dal. 

1.wash through a fine sieve 1,1/2 cup red lentils in a cold running water. Put it in to a cooking pot with 2 cups of water. 

2.add 1/2 finely sliced small onion, some curry leaves and 2 split green chilies to the lentil pot.

3.add salt, 1, 1/4tsp chilli powder, 1/2tsp turmeric powder to the pot and cook in medium heat heat with a lid. Bring it to boil and simmer completely until there’s no any water. 

4.you may see your lentils are 3/4 cooked already. Now add 2 cups of thickened coconut milk give it a good stir and bring it to boil and once it cooked completely fire off. 

5.heat a small frying pan with 2-3tbs cooking oil and add 1/2tsp cumin seeds, 1/4tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 sliced medium onion, 2 crushed garlic cloves, some curry leaves and 2 green chilies. 

6.Fry until they all are brown and at the last 30 seconds add 1/2tsp dried chilli flakes and fry. 

7.add the fried spices and herbs to the lentil curry and mix.