When my fridge is empty and I’m in a pinch, I often turn to my old reliable pantry staple pair: lentils and rice. In this version, they simmer together in coconut milk until creamy and porridge-like. To give everything more flavor and punch, you finish it off with a quick ginger–turmeric oil. Lime and yogurt add much-needed acidity to balance everything out. There’s very little chopping or prep required — just grating a bit of fresh ginger. It’s such an easy, nourishing bowl that I come back to again and again.
Ingredient highlight
Lentils! My favorite small but mighty pulse (AKA legume)! They are packed full of protein, fiber, folic acid, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and potassium. I love red lentils because as they cook, they break down and become creamy.
Servings 4 – 6
Prep Time 5 minutes 
Cook Time 20 minutes Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter (or sub with more olive oil)
- 1 tsp whole cumin seed*
- 1 tsp whole coriander seed*
- 2-3 tsp grated ginger
- ¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- Black pepper
- 5 cups water
- 1 (13.5 oz) can full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 cup red lentils
- ¾ cup jasmine rice
- 2- inch piece ginger, thinly sliced into strips
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon (just a pinch, optional)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- Plain yogurt, for topping**
- Chopped cilantro and/or scallions, for topping
- *See substitutions section if you don’t have these spices.
- **I like to thin my yogurt out with some water to make it more drizzly.
- Add protein! ~ Top with a soft-boiled egg, add a chicken breast into the lentils/rice as they cook. It should cook in 10-15 minutes, so just remove it once it’s cooked through, then shred it up.
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or pot, heat the oil and butter over medium heat until melted and the butter is beginning to sputter and foam a little.
- Stir in the whole coriander/cumin seed and cook for 30 seconds, stirring often. Stir in the ginger and red pepper flakes and cook for about 15 seconds, stirring often.
- Turn off the heat and immediately pour/scrape into a heat-safe bowl, then immediately stir in the turmeric and black pepper while the oil is still very hot. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Set aside.
- To the pot (don’t rinse), stir in the water, coconut milk, lentils, rice, ginger, soy sauce, salt, and cinnamon (if using). Stir to combine and bring to a boil over high heat, then stir again and reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils and rice are cooked through, stirring halfway and scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking. You’ll want to stir more frequently towards the end so nothing burns on the bottom as it thickens. If needed, you can add more liquid or cover the pot towards the end.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice.
- Serve topped with a dollop of yogurt, ginger turmeric oil, and herbs.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Grate 2-3 tsp grated ginger
- Thinly slice a 2-inch piece of ginger
- Make the ginger turmeric oil
- Make the full recipe
- Chop cilantro and/or scallions, for topping
Substitutions:
- You can replace half of the coconut milk with more water if you want a less creamy version. You could even leave the coconut milk out entirely for a much lighter version. It won’t be as flavorful or creamy, but make extra of the ginger turmeric oil to make up for it!
- If you don’t have whole spices, you could just use ½ tsp ground coriander and ground cumin in with the turmeric. Or use all cumin or all coriander seeds or ground.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Lentils and rice: up to 6 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 2 months
- Ginger turmeric oil: up to 7 days in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftover rice/lentils either in a covered pot or in the microwave. Add a splash of water to loosen it up, if needed.
- Let the oil sit out for a few minutes to soften and become spoon-able or you can pop it in the microwave in 10 second increments.
- Serve topped with all the toppings and an extra squeeze of lime.
- Stir in some greens if reheating on the stove.
- Eat it for breakfast with a fried egg or two on top (or lunch or dinner).
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