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    Home » Recipes

    Lentil Koftas with Tomato Curry Coconut Sauce

    Published: Jun 20, 2019 · Modified: Jan 7, 2021 by Vanessa Sturman · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 19 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    I am a big fan of spices, curry and making my own patties. So these mixed Lentil Koftas with Tomato Curry Coconut sauce were a joy to make. I use mixed lentils to give a range of textures to the koftas, which are full of flavour from the spices (they could even be eaten on their own in a sandwich without the sauce). The tomato curry is creamy from the coconut milk, with its spices contrasting beautifully with the koftas. These ‘meaty’ lentil koftas with the creamy sauce are the perfect combination.

    Heads up! This post contains affiliate links which are always indicated, but we only endorse brands and products we really love. We'll earn a little commission from qualifying purchases. This keeps us creating vegelicious content 🙂

    Lentil Koftas in a pan with curry sauce. With a plate of lentil kofta, sauce and rice next to it. this recipe

    Both Louise and I inputted into this recipe - which makes it much more fun! I came up with the original lentil kofta recipe, then Louise decided to use a short cut for the curry sauce. Koftas are made throughout the Middle East and found throughout Indian & Pakistani cooking, both with and without sauce. We particularly love them with curry sauce as the flavours blend so deliciously!

    The Curry Sauce 

    We are both fans of short cuts when you’re time-poor but still want to cook delicious food. However, we try to use healthy shortcuts and products we love. So instead of making the curry sauce to go with the lentil koftas from scratch (which you'll find in the recipe below), Louise used Honestly Co’s Masala Curry spice mix, with a tin of coconut milk, some onions and peppers. Honestly Co are a small business made up of two skilled sisters of Pakistani origin who wanted to bring the taste of their culture’s food to their customers, without anyone spending hours in the kitchen. They have no artificial ingredients and the flavours will blow you away.

    Other incredible spice mixes include Go Spice South Indian Curry Mix (affiliate link) and Steenbergs Organic Curry Powder (affiliate link)

    Lentil Koftas in a pan with curry sauce. With a packed of Curry Masala blend by Honestly

     

    Making and binding the lentil koftas

    Lentil koftas are much easier to make than you think. You actually just mix all the ingredients in together! Using your hands is key to make sure everything is combined. I love using my hands in cooking as I feel it connects me more to the food and reminds me of childhood cooking.

    The two types of lentils are a great combination, as red lentils are very small and almost become one substance when cooked and 'smushed' together. But the green lentils tend to stay whole and help give the koftas a chunkiness. If you don’t have green lentils, other chunker lentils like brown lentils will work just fine.

    Lentil Kofta with curry tomato sauce on a plate served over rice.


    The lentil koftas are bound with ground chia seeds (affiliate link) which are then mixed with water. Using ground linseed / flaxseed instead will work just fine too. It also helps that chia seed are packed full of protein! We've written a whole post on vegan egg substitutes for everything from sweet baking to savoury cooking; check it out here.

    The buckwheat flour also helps bind them, and gives them a chewier texture, which is what you want from a lentil kofta. Other flour works too, so just use whatever you have. Buckwheat flour or almond flour are great if you need the dish to be gluten-free. We have loads of delicious gluten-free vegan recipes on our blog which we think you'll love.

    This recipe was developed by Vanessa, one of the original co-founders of this site. Vanessa is now working on her plant based health coaching business, Energise and Thrive Plant Based. She helps people get high energy, great health, and balanced eating with delicious plant-based food.

    She’s also brought out her FREE Guide - 5 Steps to Balanced Plant Based Eating which you’re welcome to download. Of course, all the recipes she has created for The Vegan Larder (like this one!) will remain here for you to access.

    Cooking the lentil koftas

    Once you've fried or baked the lentil koftas, it's nice to simmer them in the curry sauce for a few minutes. This adds a lovely extra flavour to them, ensuring they are tender but with a little outside crunch. I like to serve my lentil koftas on rice, with the curry sauce, topped with fresh coriander or parsley. If you want to go the extra mile, serve with vegan raita (vegan yoghurt with mint and cucumber) and some flatbread. Check out Louise's chickpea flour flatbreads, which are always a winner! So easily elevated to dinner party meal!!

    Top tip: double the lentil kofta mixture and put half the mixture in the freezer for another time. This ensures a quick, tasty & easy meal for future you! If you want more of our secrets for easy plant based living, take a look at our Free Guide of Tips and Steps (what we wished we'd known when we first went vegan!).

    If you liked our Lentil Kofta recipe, please rate and comment below. This really helps others discover and try our yummy food. Thank you 🙂

    Lentil Kofta's in creamy curry sauce

    Mixed Lentil Koftas with Tomato Curry Coconut Sauce

    Vanessa Sturman
    These mixed lentil koftas (which are also gluten free) with tomato curry coconut sauce are easy to make. The mixed lentils give a range of textures, which are full of flavour from the spices (they could even be eaten on their own in a sandwich without the sauce). The ‘meaty’ koftas with the creamy tomato sauce are the perfect combination.
    4.20 from 10 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Resting time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 40 mins
    Course main, starter
    Cuisine asian, Indian, lebanese, middle eastern
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 315 kcal

    Ingredients Note:

    For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.

    (Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)

    Ingredients

    Mixed Lentil Koftas

    • 250 g cooked red lentils (or 1 tin drained red lentils) (1 ⅓ cups)
    • 250 g cooked green / brown lentils (or 1 tin drained green lentils) (1 ½ cups)
    • 15 g Chopped Coriander (around ½ cup or a handful)
    • 2 teaspoon garam masala
    • 3 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 3 tablespoon Chia seeds, milled / ground, mixed with 4 tablespoon water
    • 35 g buckwheat flour (or any other flour will work) (¼ cup)
    • 6 cloves Garlic, crushed
    • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
    • 2 teaspoon pepper
    • Some oil for frying (optional)

    Tomato Curry Coconut Sauce

    • 1 Onion, chopped finely
    • 1 thumb-size piece ginger, grated
    • 4 cloves garlic
    • 2 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 2 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 2 teaspoon garam masala
    • 1 tablespoon chilli flakes or a chopped chilli
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • 2 tins chopped tomatoes (or use 12 fresh tomatoes, blended)
    • 200 ml coconut milk (half a standard tin or ~1 cup)
    • 30 g fresh coriander (1 cup)
    • 45 g sultanas (optional) (¼ cup)
    • 3 tsp coconut palm sugar / maple syrup

    Instructions

    Mixed Lentil Koftas

    • Put all ingredients, except the oil for frying (if using), in a mixing bowl. Mix well so all ingredients are well and evenly combined. It is best to use your hands to do this.
    • Put in the fridge for at least an hour to let the mixture firm up.
    • Mould into oblong kofta-shaped pieces.
    • Fry in some oil until brown on the outside and cooked all the way through. Or bake on a lightly oiled tray for 25-30 minutes in a 200°C (400°F / Gas Mark 6) oven, or until the koftas have browned.
    • Simmer in the curry sauce for about 5 minutes so the koftas absorb a little of the sauce but stay browned on top.

    Tomato Curry Coconut Sauce

    • In a medium sized pan, fry the onion in some olive oil for a few minutes, then add the cumin, coriander, garam masala, chili, garlic and ginger. Fry for a further few minutes for all the flavours to be released.
    • Blend the fresh coriander with tomatoes and add to the onion and spices. If you don’t have a blender just add the tinned tomatoes as they are and chop the coriander finely. Add the coconut milk then cook for 5 minutes.
    • Add the sultanas (if using) and the coconut palm sugar / maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 315kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 13gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 920mgPotassium: 888mgFiber: 13gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 1095IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 139mgIron: 7mg
    Keyword coconut, curry, gluten free, kofta, rice, spices
    Tried this recipe and loved it? Follow and Mention @vegan_larder or comment and ⭐ below

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    1. Paul Speller says

      February 04, 2020 at 9:52 pm

      3 stars
      Potentially a really nice recipe, but sadly found to be inedible due to the crazy amount of salt, 4-5 tsp for 4 servings in hindsight is way too much. Will definitely try again but with around 1tsp max. of salt.

      Reply
      • Louise-Claire Cayzer says

        February 05, 2020 at 9:34 pm

        We're so sorry, that was a mistake! It should have been 4-5 grams. I'll fix the recipe.

        Reply
    2. Naomi says

      March 02, 2020 at 9:22 pm

      Hi Louise,
      I'm going to attempt making these tonight, I've never used buckwheat flour before. Can I use all purpose plain flour instead?. Thanks

      Reply
      • Vanessa says

        March 03, 2020 at 7:40 pm

        Hi Naomi
        Thanks for your question. Yes, it should work just fine. We used buckwheat flour so it would be ok for gluten-free people too, but all-purpose flour will work.

        Reply
    3. Angie says

      April 01, 2020 at 9:05 pm

      when do you add the coconut milk?

      Reply
      • Louise-Claire Cayzer says

        April 03, 2020 at 5:57 pm

        HI Angie,
        It gets added in with the tomatoes. I've amended the recipe! Thank you for letting us know
        x Vanessa & Louise

        Reply
    4. Emma says

      April 29, 2020 at 9:45 am

      5 stars
      Delicious! I made the Koftas with all purpose flour, added cayenne pepper and fried them in a pan. Forgot to cook rice, so the recipe made 2 big servings (we're good eaters :D).

      Reply
    5. David says

      July 25, 2020 at 5:24 pm

      5 stars
      I thought these were great - tasty and nicely filling.

      Reply
    6. Susie says

      August 17, 2020 at 4:54 pm

      I had wanted to make these for some time and was not disappointed! Made a couple of swaps in recipe due to availability of the ingredients but they were really delicious. I didn’t cook the sauce long enough on the first day, but we had left overs on the second day by which time the flavours were much better integrated. Will definitely make these again. Was great to try something new and expand my repertoire. Thanks Vegan Larder!

      Reply
      • Louise-Claire Cayzer says

        August 18, 2020 at 2:06 pm

        So glad you liked these! I always think leftovers taste even better with this kind of food, the flavours get to know each other better! x

        Reply
    7. Margie says

      April 22, 2021 at 7:07 pm

      Can this be made without coriander? Or what substitute can be used?

      Reply
      • Louise-Claire Cayzer says

        April 22, 2021 at 7:09 pm

        Just leave the ground coriander out if you are not a fan (although coriander seeds don't taste soapy like the fresh leaves do!) And garnish with parsley if you like.

        Reply
    8. KERENA says

      June 02, 2021 at 2:25 pm

      5 stars
      Yum!!

      Reply
      • Vanessa Sturman says

        June 02, 2021 at 5:56 pm

        Thank you! So glad you think this is yummy too 🥰

        Reply
    9. mac says

      June 24, 2022 at 9:22 pm

      5 stars
      huge fan of these, and the sauce is so good i would even eat it like a soup on its own 😂 i used the ground linseed to bind as mentioned and the standard gluten-free flour in my cupboard. i find that i usually prefer stronger seasoning than in most recipes and i used the full can of coconut milk in the sauce so i seasoned to taste, probably close to double the spices in the recipe, and i added crushed chilies to the kofta which was a great flavor. really happy with how these turned out and will definitely be making them again

      Reply
      • Louise-Claire Cayzer says

        June 25, 2022 at 5:49 pm

        The sauce is really good isn't it! I'm so glad you like this recipe!

        Reply

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