dinner
Dhal Curry
Sri Lanka's everyday comfort — red lentils cooked in coconut milk with curry leaves, turmeric, and tempered mustard seeds, the simple dish found on every Sri Lankan table.
⏱ 40 min🔥 320 kcalEasy
★4.8(1,340)
🇱🇰
Sri Lankan Lentils Recipes
3 recipes using lentils — Fish curry, kottu roti, hoppers — fiery coconut-rich cooking from the Pearl of the Indian Ocean.
These 3 sri lankan lentils recipes are ready in about 43 minutes on average, with 260–320 kcal per serving, and 100% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
3
recipes
43 min
average time
300 kcal
avg per serving
100%
easy recipes
How Sri Lankan cuisine cooks with lentils
Sri Lankan cuisine — Fish curry, kottu roti, hoppers — fiery coconut-rich cooking from the Pearl of the Indian Ocean — brings its own distinctive techniques and seasonings to every ingredient it touches. When Sri Lankan cooks work with lentils, they reach for its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, frying, boiling and steaming.
Quick-cooking pulses that bring earthy heartiness and plant protein to soups, dals, stews and salads. In this collection it's most often cooked with coconut milk, turmeric, curry leaves, onion, mustard seeds and coconut oil. The dishes here span sri lankan classics ready in as little as 40 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Dhal Curry is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.8★ from 1,340 ratings.
3 Sri Lankan Lentils Recipes
✨ Newsoup
Sri Lankan Dhal Curry (Parippu)
Red lentils simmered with turmeric, coconut milk and curry leaves until creamy, a foundational everyday Sri Lankan comfort dish.
⏱ 50 min🔥 260 kcalEasy
★4.5(24)
✨ Newsoup
Sri Lankan Tomato-Pepper Dhal (Parippu)
Creamy Sri Lankan red lentil dhal simmered with tomato, black pepper and coconut milk, tempered with curry leaves.
⏱ 40 min🔥 320 kcalEasy
★4.6(52)
Choosing & preparing lentils
How to choose
Choose by type: red/yellow lentils break down into creamy dals and soups; green and Puy lentils hold their shape for salads and sides. Look for whole, unbroken, uniform pulses.
Prep & storage
No soaking needed — just rinse and pick out any stones. Add salt and acid towards the end, since early acidity can keep them firm; aromatics in the cooking water build flavour from the start.
Nutrition
An excellent source of plant protein, fibre, iron and folate, with a low glycaemic impact that keeps you full.
Classic flavour partners: cumin, garlic, onion, ginger, tomatoes, spinach
Sri Lankan Lentils Recipes — FAQ
How long do Sri Lankan lentils recipes take to make?
Most of these 3 Sri Lankan lentils recipes are ready in around 43 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Dhal Curry, takes about 40 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 50 minutes.
How many calories are in Sri Lankan lentils dishes?
Across this collection they range from about 260 to 320 kcal per serving, averaging 300 kcal — Sri Lankan Dhal Curry (Parippu) is the lightest option at 260 kcal.
What is the easiest Sri Lankan lentils recipe for beginners?
Dhal Curry is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 40 minutes. 100% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
What goes well with lentils in Sri Lankan cooking?
In these recipes, lentils is most often paired with coconut milk, turmeric, curry leaves, onion, mustard seeds and coconut oil. Sri Lankan kitchens also lean on its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends.
More Sri Lankan Recipes by Ingredient
Lentils Recipes from Other Cuisines
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