Sometimes, you’ve just got to come to terms with the fact that some dishes won’t look good no matter how much you try to play with the dish. But I just had two bowls, and I am here to tell you that looks are irrelevant, any day of the week.

I recently had this AH-MAZING vegan dhal that my good friend @Verging_on_Vegan made and I haven’t been able to get the taste out of my head. I’m yet to try her dhal recipe at home, but I’ve come up with my own little rendition using everything in my pantry and fridge (grocery day is coming up and it’s time to clean out the fridge).

This dish is a one-pot dish (yay no dishes), it’s vegan, it’s jam-packed with flavor and it takes 20 minutes to have ready and in and around your mouth.

The coconut milk and eggplant make it nice and creamy. The lentils add depth and the chickpeas add that ‘meaty’ flavor that just makes the entire dish.

Lazy Thursday dinners – here I come.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant (or 2 medium sized), chopped into large chunks

1 can of organic coconut milk (I like to use Organic Planet – it costs 7.50dhs at the Farmer’s Market)

2 handfuls of dry red lentils

1 can of organic chickpeas

1 can of tinned tomatoes

3 spring onions, chopped

4 cloves of garlic

1 thumb of grated ginger

The juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons of curry powder

Sea salt

Coconut oil

2 teaspoons of paprika

1/3 teaspoon of cumin powder

How to make it:

First, put your pot to heat (I’ve used a cast-iron pot I got from IKEA for 130dhs (best purchase ever)).

Add the eggplant and enough coconut oil to coat the pot and let them get some nice color on them. While the eggplant is cooking, chop your onions and garlic, and grate the ginger then add to the half-cooked eggplant chunks. Cook together for about 3 minutes.

Add all the spices except for the sea salt and cook the spices with the veggies for another minute.

Drain the can of chickpeas and add them to the mixture. Mix well.

Then, add the can of tomatoes and the dry lentils and cover the pot letting them simmer together for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat.*

Lastly, add the coconut milk (you be the judge of how much is needed depending on how dry the lentils and eggplants have made the dish).

Add the juice of the lemon, mix well and see if salt is needed. If you’d like an extra kick, add some chilis, chili flakes, or chili sauce.

*Keep an eye on your pot, making sure nothing burns to the bottom of the pot. I find that eggplants and lentils dry up the water in the dish and could potentially get burnt if not watched properly. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

That is it. As simple as can be and unbelievably delicious, hearty and versatile. You could add any veg you think would go well with it…spinach, roasted peppers…etc. This 20-minute vegan eggplant and lentil coconut chickpea curry is perfect for a lazy Thursday in, or even after a long-ass day at work.

Give it a try and tell me what you think. Also, arrrrrreeeee you following StraightupBananas on Instagram yet? Me thinks you should be.

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Published by Straight-up Bananas

Hi, I’m Ahlam! Lover of all things food and self-diagnosed food-recycling addict.
I started Straight-up Bananas about 3 years ago as a place to store and share my recipes with friends and family, focusing on straight-up simple, wholesome and clean eats. My Palestinian and Puerto Rican background means I get to create foods that have a Latino-Arabic feel—but always with a clean twist.
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