Crispy Indian Ish Lentils With Rice Yogurt

Lentils are tossed with a spiced oil and broiled until crispy, then mixed with Indian-flavored aromatics and herbs. To finish, the lentils are plated over white rice and drizzled with a quick yogurt sauce. Not only does this dish cost less than $2 per serving, but it’s also nourishing and packed with fun Indian-inspired flavors. And I’m extra excited to share this dish with you because it’s also the FIRST RECIPE from my new cookbook, Big Vegan Flavor, that I’m sharing on the blog. If you’re new around these parts, Big Vegan Flavor spans over 600 pages and contains over 150 recipes! But more than that, it’s my attempt to synthesize the techniques behind great plant-based cooking into one resource you’ll turn to again and again. It officially releases on September 3rd, but if you order now you can get some pretty amazing bonus content for free! Check out the section of this page titled “Bonus content, exclusively for pre-orders” for details on how you can receive all the bonus goodies!

Why you’ll love this recipe

A textural wonderland

When you hear the word lentils, you probably don’t think crispy. You might think smooth and creamy as in dal or lentil curries, or tender with a bite as in lentil salads. But lentils, like other plant proteins such as chickpeas or tofu, can also be crispy! All you need is a hot oven and a bit of oil to turn lentils into crispy perfection. The crispy lentils are plated on top of soft, fluffy-chewy white rice and then drizzled with a creamy yogurt sauce, so you get a delightful medley of textures in each bite. I feel so strongly about the importance of fun food textures that I incorporated an entire chapter into Big Vegan Flavor on how to create the textures we love the most—creamy, crispy, crunchy, chewy—using plant-based ingredients.

Simple ingredients, big flavor

As long as you have a well-stocked spice cabinet, the ingredients in this recipe are quite minimal. All you need are basic brown or green lentils, white rice, a few spices and aromatics, oil, and vegan yogurt. Don’t let that pared down ingredient list fool you though! The Indian-inspired flavors in this dish are bold, fun, and exciting. That’s all thanks to the infused oil, which features shallots, garlic, and spices toasted in oil. This spiced oil brings flavor to the dish in two ways: (1) first, the aromatics and spices infuse the oil with lots of flavor, which is great since that oil is later used to broil the lentils; (2) the aromatics and spices themselves become after being sauteed in oil since these ingredients are fat-soluble.

Checks all the boxes

It’s hard to not love a recipe that is flavorful, nourishing, and budget-friendly. We’ve already discussed flavor, so let’s talk about the other two. Lentils pack in both fiber and protein, keeping you full for hours. And the spices, chiles, and garlic in this dish bring the antioxidants. Plus, this dish is allergen friendly and free of gluten, nuts, and soy (and of course, dairy!).
On the budget front, according to my very precise calculations (an Excel spreadsheet was involved), this dish costs less than $2 per serving. And given that I live in San Diego, CA (recently named the most expensive city in America 😭), the cost of these ingredients may be even lower where you live.

Tips for making this recipe

Cook the lentils only until al dente.

When you simmer the lentils, cook them only until al dente: cooked through but with a bite, not soft. If the lentils are soft, they won’t retain their texture as much for the broiled lentils. For brown and green lentils, this means only 10 to 12 minutes at a decent simmer. For French green lentils, simmer for 17 to 20 minutes.

Use a creamy, tangy vegan yogurt.

Yogurt is used in savory Indian dishes to provide a source of acidity as well as to provide a creamy cooling element to balance spiciness. So a creamy vegan yogurt that’s tart/tangy in flavored will work best. Even some plain-flavored vegan yogurts have a slightly sweet flavor, so I recommend using a yogurt you’ve already tried and like. My two favorite brands are Culina and CocoJune (coconut based, creamy & thick, tart, and no coconut flavor). I also like GT’s CocoYo and Pillar’s coconut yogurt though it may not be as widely available. For a non-coconut base, try Kite Hill’s plain-flavored almond yogurt. I hope you enjoy this sneak peek recipe from my new cookbook! Big Vegan Flavor officially comes out on September 3rd, which means you still have time to pre-order the book! If you’re wondering why you should pre-order before the official publication date, it’s because I’ve created an incredible package of bonus content for folks who preorder! You can read more about what’s inside the book and all the bonus goodies on this page.To everyone who has already pre-ordered the book, THANK YOU a million times over. Y’all are making my dreams come true, and I am honored by your support. Please visit this page for instructions on accessing your bonus content!