Chickpea And Lentil Curry With Sweet Potato & Quinoa (Vegan)

Q: Is quinoa or rice better with lentil curry?

Both work well. I like quinoa because it's relatively higher in protein than white rice, and it's tasty. Cook it just as you would white rice.

Vegan Chickpea And Lentil Curry, With Sweet Potato And Quinoa.

A Filling, Budget Friendly Vegan Curry With Coconut Milk And Warm Spices.

Ready In About 20 Minutes Once The Vegetables Are Chopped.

Send me coupon for 10 HALF price classes & 2 for FREE (for new or lapsed 3 mths)

Introduction to chickpea and lentil curry

Chickpea and lentil curry is a medium heat vegan curry of canned chickpeas and lentils, sweet potato, pumpkin, tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach, simmered in coconut milk with warm spices and served on quinoa. Once the vegetables are chopped, it’s ready in about 20 minutes. It made lunch for two of us, with plenty left over for another meal.

The cans of cooked beans from the supermarket are cheap protein, even the organic ones I prefer when I can get them. With the spices, this curry is filling, healthy and delicious. I don’t get hungry after it, because there’s plenty of protein.

I first made this for lunch after teaching the morning yoga classes. Trying new food mixes like this is a habit I picked up at Flametree Bali yoga retreats, where I learnt new recipes and eating styles, including at the free cooking class. I’d put some of those food mixes off for a lifetime, and I feel better for trying them.

So, despite the sometimes unkind comments about lentils, I’m proud to be a lentil lover! (Although I do think black beans are the best of the whole bean family.)

If you have any comments or questions, please contact us. Or chat with me at a Flametree yoga or meditation class via these timetables.

Chickpea and lentil curry, ready to eat

Vegan chickpea and lentil curry with sweet potato and vegetables

The finished curry, with lentils, chickpeas and plenty of vegetables.

Ingredients for chickpea and lentil curry

Here are the ingredients for this Flametree Yoga Studio dish.

The spices

One white or brown onion
1 to 2 cloves of garlic
About a tablespoon of grated ginger
2 tablespoons of coriander powder
A teaspoon of garam masala
A teaspoon of smoked paprika
One teaspoon of turmeric powder
2 teaspoons of ground cumin

The curry and the quinoa

One can of cooked lentils
One can of cooked chickpeas
A full can of coconut milk, ideally organic
2 to 3 cups of water
Pepper, to your taste
A couple of tablespoons of olive oil, for sautéing
Half a packet of washed baby spinach, or the equivalent
A medium orange sweet potato, finely cubed
A cup of finely chopped pumpkin
4 medium tomatoes, chopped, or a can of tomatoes
4 medium to large mushrooms
1 cup of uncooked quinoa
Parsley, to garnish

You’ll find all the spices at your local supermarket.

The spices, ready to go

The spices for chickpea and lentil curry, ready to add to the pan

The spices, all ready to add. You’ll find them all at your local supermarket.

The vegetables, chopped and ready

Chopped vegetables ready for a vegan chickpea and lentil curry

My helpful assistant in the kitchen chopped all the vegetables for me. So when I got back from teaching the morning’s yoga classes, lunch was ready in about 20 minutes at most.

How to make chickpea and lentil curry

Use these steps to make this vegan lentil curry with quinoa.

Step 1: Cook the quinoa

Start with the quinoa. Cook it just as you would white rice.
Put it in a saucepan and cover it with water to the depth of a finger laid across the top of the quinoa.
Bring it to the boil, then turn it down to a very low simmer.
It takes around 15 minutes. It’s done when it fluffs up and dries out, so it’s not wet and watery.

Step 2: Soften the onion, garlic and ginger

Chop the onion and garlic quite finely.
Heat the oil in a pan, then add the onion, garlic and ginger.
Sauté, and watch that it doesn’t burn.

Step 3: Add the spices and vegetables

Add the other spices and stir well.
Stir in the vegetables, except the spinach, and cook them briefly with the spices.

Step 4: Simmer in coconut milk

Add the coconut milk and let it simmer until all the vegetables are cooked.
You may need to add water to get a good consistency.

Step 5: Add the chickpeas and lentils

Drain the lentils and chickpeas, and rinse them under running water.
Stir them in, and simmer on low heat for 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 6: Add the spinach and serve

Add the spinach and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add pepper to taste and garnish with parsley.
Serve with the quinoa.

The quinoa, cooked and fluffy

Fluffy cooked quinoa to serve with chickpea and lentil curry

Quinoa cooked until it fluffs up. It’s soft, with a little crunch, but not hard in any way.

Is chickpea and lentil curry vegan and gluten free?

It’s vegan. Everything in it comes from plants, and the creaminess comes from coconut milk rather than cream.

The ingredients are naturally gluten free too. But spice blends like garam masala, and some canned goods, can vary, so check the labels if you need to avoid gluten.

Is quinoa or rice better with lentil curry?

Both work well, so use whichever you like. I like quinoa because it’s relatively higher in protein than white rice, it has other advantages, and it’s tasty.

Cook quinoa just as you would white rice. It’s ready in around 15 minutes, which is about the time the curry takes.

Lunch for two, on my back verandah

Sweet potato and lentil curry with chickpeas and quinoa, served for two

Lunch is served for two, with plenty left for another meal later.

Chickpea and lentil curry: quick questions answered

How long does chickpea and lentil curry take to make?

Once the vegetables are chopped, it’s ready in about 20 minutes. Start the quinoa first, as it takes around 15 minutes.

How many people does this curry serve?

It made lunch for two of us, with plenty left over for another meal later.

Can I make this lentil curry hotter?

Yes. As written, it’s a medium heat curry. If you like it hotter, add some chilli.

Can I keep the leftovers?

Yes. What’s left over stores easily. Keep it covered in the fridge.

More Flametree curry and lentil recipes

Love a good curry? Try my black bean curry (black beans really are my favourite), my roasted eggplant and red capsicum chickpea curry, or my vegetable dahl with green lentils.

Do you have a vegan recipe or dish you’d like to share?

Please contact me with any dishes you’d like to share with me.

Obviously, I’m especially interested in any dish that is already a great Darwin vegan option.

Alternatively, it may be a potential vegan Darwin recipe that I could adapt, or be inspired by, as I did here.

Experience eating alternatives at a Flametree Yoga Retreat

By the way, there are several upcoming Flametree yoga retreats in Bali in 2027.

Contact us for details of our Darwin yoga retreat packages, or our yoga class packages in the orange lines below.

Top yoga & meditation retreats, classes, & videos

Meanwhile, start or re-start yoga or meditation with one of the HALF price deals below, or check out the retreat deals.

Learning to eat mindfully, as a result of yoga and pranayama meditation, is a great way to start more of a vegetarian or vegan journey, or simply mindfully eat whatever you choose.