Spicy red Lentils — Sri Lankan Style (No Coconut Milk) (පරිප්පු මිරිසට )

   Spicy red Lentils  

 

Spicy Red Lentils  — Sri Lankan Style (No Coconut Milk)

If you’ve ever tasted Sri Lankan home cooking, you know that parippu curry (red lentils) is the heartbeat of the meal. It’s the dish that shows up at breakfast with roti, at lunch with rice, and at dinner alongside sambols and stir-fries. Traditionally, lentils are simmered in coconut milk for a creamy finish — but today, I’m sharing a no-coconut-milk version that’s just as delicious, lighter, and even faster to cook.

This version leans on roasted spices, caramelized onions, and a touch of tanginess to bring out deep, bold flavors without creaminess. Perfect for anyone avoiding coconut or simply wanting something a little brighter.

Let’s dive in!

 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Naturally vegan & high-protein

  • Budget-friendly and made with pantry staples

  • Ready in under 30 minutes

  • The spices create a rich, smoky, savory flavor even without coconut milk

  • Easily adjustable—make it mild or fiery

Sri Lankan Spicy Red Lentils (No Coconut Milk)

Ingredients (Serves 3–4)




  • Ingredients 

  • 1 cup red split lentils (masoor dal)

  • 2 cups water

  • ¼ tsp turmeric

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or coconut oil if you like, though optional)

  • 1 medium onion, finely sliced

  • 2–3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • 1–2 green chilies, slit

  • 1sprig curry leaves

  • ½ tsp black mustard seeds

  • 1 inch cinnamon (optional)

  • ¾ tsp red chili powder (adjust to taste)

  • ½ – 1 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder (or regular curry powder)

  • ½ cup water (to adjust consistency)

  • Salt to taste

    (Save 1/2 of the onion,garlic,cinnamon,curry leaves and chilli powder aside for tempering.)

 Instructions

  1. Rinse red lentils until the water runs clear.

  2. Add them to a pot with 2 cups water,

  3.  Add onion,garlic curry leaves, green chilies,curry powder,chilli powder turmeric powder.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    The lentils should turn soft and creamy but still hold shape.

    4.  
     

  1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.

  2. Add mustard seeds ,when they start popping, add cumin, curry leaves,dry red chilli pieces and garlic.

  3. Add the sliced onions and sauté until they turn golden and slightly caramelized.

  4. Sprinkle in red chili powder.

  5. Cook until golden in  color


     
     



     

  1. Add the tempering into the cooked lentils.



     

  2. Add a splash of water to adjust thickness—Sri Lankan parippu is usually slightly liquid but not soupy.

  3. Simmer 2–3 more minutes. 

  4. Taste and adjust salt


How to Serve

  • With steamed rice and a vegetable curry

  • With pol roti, chapati, or pita

  • As a warm bowl with bread

  • Alongside sambols like pol sambol or seeni sambol

 Tips & Variations

  • Add dried red chilies in the tempering for extra heat.

  • For deeper flavor, add 1–2 tsp of Maldives fish flakes (optional, non-vegan traditional add-in).

  • If you want it creamier without coconut, stir in 1–2 tbsp cashew cream.

  • For a smokier taste, toast curry powder lightly before using.

🥄 Final Thoughts

This no-coconut version of Sri Lankan red lentil curry proves that you don’t need rich cream to achieve bold flavor. Just a handful of spices, some aromatic tempering, and humble red lentils become a comforting, fragrant dish you’ll want to make again and again.

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Date Cake

Image
Date Cake Ingredients 500 g dates ppitted 1 cup water 100g brown sugar 2 Eggs 125 g Butter 1 1/2 Cups Self raising flour 2 tsp Vanila 1 tsp Bicarb. Method Preheat the oven 180 or 160 fan forced. Add the dates, Butter, sugar & water. Cook it till it boils Add bicarb and leave it to cool down. Whisk the eggs. Add eggs, self raising flour,vanila and mix well. Add the mixture in to a baking tray and bake 40 min.
Read more

Milk Bread (Very soft and easy) (+playlist)

Image
Home made Milk Bread (Very Soft & Easy) Ingredients 610g Bread flour 120 g Sugar 20g Yeast 50 g Milk Powder 2 Eggs 1 cup of milk Salt 100g whipping cream 6g Salt For the roux 1 cup of water. 1/3 cup Bread Flour Method Make the roux. Add four to the water and cook several minutes until it becomes thick. Leave it to cool. Add all the ingredients in to the mixing bowl except milk. Add the prepared roux in to that. Start kneading adding milk little by little. Knead the dough for 15 minutes. After kneading cover it with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place to double in size. Punch down the dough and cut in to 6 equal size pieces. Then spread the dough take one corner to the other and overlap it. Reapeat the same process. Then roll it from one corner to the other. Then put them on a prepared loaf pan to prove till double in size. When it is double in size egg wash. Bake on 180 about 30 -40 min.
Read more

Sri Lankan Oil Cakes (Konda kavum)

Image
Sri Lankan Oil Cakes (Konda Kav um) Oil cake is a very authentic and a traditional sweet that made out  of rice flour , treacle, and coconut oil. After mixing the ingredients leaving the dough to rest makes this sweet forms the konde or like a knot done to womens hair. The person has to  be little skillfull to make them. I was trained from my child hood by my grand mother. After making oil cakes she gives me the last bit to try. That gave me the ability to make them nicer. You need to be patient  when cooking them, as well as it takes time and have to cook them on low flame. Traditionally they use husks and leaves of coconut tree to cook them,as the flame is not very stronger. If you make them bigger you need to cook them longer, if not the middle of the Kavum can be raw. People use to put the cooked Kavum in big pots of treacle and tie around the pot tightly and hang them in a corner of the kitchen. After several months after the new year they took them out to ...
Read more