Tikka Masala Lentils

Absolutely amazing recipe! I loved making these lentils. A one-pot dish that’s very easy to make and a delicious result. It serves 3 generous portions.

Absolutely smashing. Such a lovely version of tikka masala. I served it in a baked half of a delicata squash with some lamb meatballs on the side. I took the suggestion from the headnote and roasted a few tomatoes to serve on top of the lentils. These lovely, luscious lentils almost melt in your mouth with each glorious bite.

Even though there is some cayenne pepper in the spice mix, it’s a rather gentle overall spiciness, as the coconut milk tempers the heat. If you enjoy tikka masala, you will be very impressed with this take on it.

It’s not a pretty sight, but this is extremely delicious. And practical. And easy. And impressive. AND a wonderful stand-alone or base for a myriad of possibilities! Can you tell? This is definitely to be added to my dependable, repeat arsenal. I loved this dish and am looking forward to making it again-maybe with some creative additions. Wonderful vegan recipes that can include added protein sources are helpful to diverse households.

Being electronically challenged (it’s a miracle I have wi-fi and an iPhone), I pulled out my trusty, enameled cast-iron 4-quart Dutch oven. I followed the directions accordingly and it was just a matter of assembly after that; the addition of spices/seasonings, lentils, and liquids came along in short order. I brought it all to a simmer, covered it tightly, and cooked it until the lentils were tender, but NOT mush. The aromas were heavenly and perfect for a snowy day.

Voila! While not instant, the total simmer time was 35 minutes. The complex flavorings imparted a wonderful, subtle heat that we really enjoy. I served it over a bed of baby spinach, kale, and chard, topped with some lovely tomatoes. A crusty bread would have been a nice addition.

Question: Do we REALLY need to cook food so quickly? And I wonder: are there delicious tempting scents filling the air with quick-cooking methods? If not, that would be a sad thing.

What a delicious main or side dish! Simple and easy to put together; I had all the ingredients in my pantry. The spice mix is the star of this recipe. We had it plain with a broiled piece of cod the first night, and then added some basmati rice to the mix for a vegetarian meal the next night.  Flavors were fantastic!

I have always loved Indian food and this was a great way to get those delicious flavors in an easy to make vegetarian dish. We served this with rice and some homemade garlic naan bread for the perfect dinner. Next time I would double it and freeze leftovers for future quick dinners!

I loved the spice mixture in this too; other tikka masala recipes I’ve tried in the past seem to rely too heavily on curry powder for flavoring. I used green lentils as that’s what I had on hand, it worked perfectly still. I also let it do a natural release for 20 minutes just because I lost track of time, didn’t see any impact as the lentils were tender. I would add some bell peppers in with the onions next time, and throw in some spinach or kale after it was done cooking, just to add some more nutrition, texture, and bulk it up a bit more.

These lentils are comfortingly warm and spicy, hearty enough for a main course with rice or as a side. We loved the level of spice, neither too much nor too little and found ourselves wanting seconds. The onions were soft and translucent in about 5 minutes.

My Instant Pot wasn’t cooperating with respect to natural release of pressure so after about 5 minutes I vented the pot. The results were still rich, creamy lentils that had cooked to perfect tenderness. While delicious as is, the lentils could easily work well with a protein for a non-vegan dish. My taster and I both thought several different options would work such as pieces of chicken or sausage.

I love Indian spices so when I saw this recipe I wanted to make it. As I read through it, I noticed that it was a recipe to be used with an electric pressure cooker which I don’t have but I thought lentils are so quick and easy to cook, this could easily be adapted to a stove top recipe so I did it on the stovetop with some minor variations.

This gets extra credit for ease of preparation as well as for intense, wonderful flavors. While doing prep work, I had mixed all of the spices in a small bowl so that all I had to do was tip the bowl’s contents into the IP. This makes much more sense than measuring and adding all of the ingredients separately.

I have had my IP for years now. I use it at least once or twice a week. In all of the time that I have owned it, I have never used it on the low pressure setting. Instead, every time I have used it as a pressure cooker, it has been on high pressure. I thought, perhaps, this had been a misprint, but I was eager to try something new. I did cook the lentils on the low pressure setting for 15 minutes, after which, I let it have a natural release until the display read LO:10, which only means that it continues to release for 10 minutes. Unless you like watching paint dry, there is no need to watch the display until you see the read out you desire. I just set a timer for 10 minutes, which I started as soon as I heard the 10 beeps that indicate that your cooking time is finished in your IP. As soon as the 10 minutes were up, I went over to my IP, and the readout indeed read LO:10. My pressure cooker button was no longer raised, so I could, at that point, open my IP. My lentils were, indeed, very tender.

The spices in this dish are wonderful. They all work together to make something so much more flavorful than what just a couple of the spices could have done on their own. In fact, the next day, the lentils were even more spicy than they had been on the first day, after just cooking them. This is a dish that I look forward to revisiting often.

Tikka masala lentils are perfect for those long days when you are very tired, but still need to make dinner. With very minimal prep, this is really a “dump it in the Instant Pot” kind of recipe that requires very little effort. We ate these lentils with a bit of store bought naan and a salad and it was a perfect busy day meal. I think that I would double the recipe in the future, but otherwise, we really enjoyed this recipe for it’s quick preparation and tasty finished product.

I made this dish twice in one week. Need I say more? The lentils are perfectly and gently cooked, as if they simmered in a carefully tended pot on the stove. The sauce is creamy, flavorful, and well spiced with a hint of tang. I also love a recipe that relies heavily on pantry items because I don’t have to go to a store if I am craving it.

I served the lentils over rice and garnished with cilantro, and both my husband and toddler loved it.

This is an excellent weeknight meal, quick to make and comforting to eat. The spicy flavor of the lentils works very well with spinach as suggested in the head notes and also over rice. We liked it so much that we fought over the leftovers for lunch. Next time I make it, I will double the recipe.