Japanese Lentil Curry

If you’re looking for a simple, cosy bowlful packed with nourishing lentils and big flavours, look no further than my Japanese Lentil Curry recipe. It’s healthy, hearty and (if you don’t top it with soft-boiled eggs) cooks all together in one pot with just 5-ingredients! It also makes excellent leftovers – just microwave them up when you’re in need of a nourishing meal, or re-heat in a saucepan with a splash of water!

The moment Yotam Ottolenghi posted a link to his Camping-style Japanese Lentil Curry in his Substack newsletter, I just knew I had to make it. With just a handful of ingredients and filled with that winning katsu-style curry flavour it was a bowlful of lentils that ticked all my boxes. And I was right; his was great recipe, but not quite right for me. For a start, I wanted it to serve 2 rather than serve 4, which meant changing up which jar of lentils I used. Also, for the curry blocks I buy the salt he added was way too much, and I found the addition of uncooked leeks simmering in the sauce to be a little slippery. A few rounds of tinkering later, my take on a Japanese Lentil Curry was born.

A jar of brown lentils forms the base, along with coconut milk and 2 1/2 curry blocks. Salt is added to taste, and instead of those honestly slightly slimy leeks we’re straying back into more traditional Japanese curry territory by using carrots instead. I’ve kept Yotam’s suggested soft boiled egg garnish (because who doesn’t like soft boiled eggs – unless you’re looking to keep this otherwise plant-based curry vegan if you choose vegan-friendly curry blocks, of course) and added pickled sushi ginger (I had a cafeteria chicken katsu the other day where the highlight was the tangle of pickles on the side – buy some, or follow my recipe to make your own) and a few toasted sesame seeds.

Japanese Curry Blocks

Japanese curry blocks are such a store cupboard staple, because unlike curry powder they contain natural thickeners too, meaning you don’t also have to make a roux for your curry. I buy Japanese brand S&B Golden Curry^ad (you can get medium-hot which is what I’ve used here, or hot ones if you want to up the heat!) but I’ve also noticed that Yutaka who make great Japanese ingredients also make some, which are also sold on Ocado and in Sainsbury’s, which is where I usually source my S&B ones. Once you’ve got them for this recipe, you can also use them to make my Fish Finger Katsu Curry (you can also of course use that sauce recipe to make other types of katsu curry bowl too!)

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Japanese Lentil Curry

• Author: Rachel Phipps
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: Serves 2
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: Japanese

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Description

This super easy Japanese Lentil Curry is the perfect one-pot vegan meal. Eat it by itself, with rice, topped with a soft-boiled egg, or add a tangle of pickled sushi ginger – whatever you fancy!

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Ingredients

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• 200ml full fat coconut milk (1/2 tin)
• 2 1/2 curry blocks (check they’re a vegan variety if this matters to you!)
• 2 medium potatoes
• 2 medium carrots
• 360g jar brown lentils in water
• sea salt, to taste
• 2 x 6-minute soft boiled eggs, to serve
• sushi ginger, to serve
• toasted black sesame seeds, to serve

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Instructions

1. Combine the coconut milk with 200ml of water in a medium saucepan. Set over a gentle heat and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, peel the vegetables, and cut the potatoes into generous chunks, and slice the carrots into 1.5cm pieces on the diagonal. This will give them more surface area and help them cook to tender at the same rate as the potatoes.
2. Crumble in the curry blocks, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the vegetables and the lentils, including the water from the jar.
3. Bring to a generous simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring often to make sure the lentils don’t stick to the bottom. In this time the curry should thicken, and the carrot and potato pieces should become tender.
4. Check the vegetables are done – if they need a little longer but you’re worrying about the curry thickening too much, just add a splash of water. Add a little salt if you think it needs it (this will depend on the brand of your curry blocks) and serve in bowls topped with the soft-boiled eggs, a tangle of sushi ginger and a couple of sesame seeds.

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Notes

Leftovers re-heat beautifully; keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days, re-heating in the microwave, or on the stovetop with a splash more water to allow for where the liquid has soaked into the potatoes whilst they’re resting.

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