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Lentil and chickpea curry with rice
2 servings
One dish at a time
Your prep outline
This is a preparation outline, not the full method. Read each full recipe before cooking. Timings are estimates per recipe, not a promise of combined batch time. Check each recipe's equipment, allergens and method before starting.
Dish 1. Lentil and chickpea curry with rice
Estimated: 15 min preparation · 35 min cooking
- Portion the curry and follow its cooling and storage instructions.
- Cook fresh rice for each meal where possible. Stored rice, including mixed portions, must follow the shorter rice limits.
Keep rice and curry storage separate: refrigerated rice is limited to 24 hours; curry without rice to 48 hours.
Open full cooking instructions
Full cooking instructions
Lentil and chickpea curry with rice
2 servings · Estimated: 15 min preparation · 35 min cooking
Not yet kitchen-tested. Preparation and cooking times are estimates.
Editorial review: Gabriel Silva · 2026-10-14
Read the full method before you start. Wash your hands, use clean equipment and check the labels of every ingredient for allergens.
You will need
- Kitchen scales
- Measuring jug and spoons
- Saucepan with lid
- Rice pan with lid
- Small frying pan
- Sieve
- Knife and board
- Fine grater
- Clean kitchen paper
- Wooden spoon
Important ingredient notes
- Water for the rice is additional; measure the amount its pack directs.
- Salt and chilli are not included in the ingredients above.
- Pistachios and sesame are optional toppings shown in the photograph. Leaving them out does not guarantee allergy safety.
- Use plain chickpeas, coconut milk and seasonings without animal-derived additions for this plant-based version.
Allergens & ingredients
- Pistachio/tree nuts if optional garnish used
- Sesame if optional garnish used
- Check all pack ingredients and precautionary statements; spice cross-contact and additions may introduce other allergens
Meal-prep notes
- Portion the curry and follow its cooling and storage instructions.
- Cook fresh rice for each meal where possible. Stored rice, including mixed portions, must follow the shorter rice limits.
Keep rice and curry storage separate: refrigerated rice is limited to 24 hours; curry without rice to 48 hours.
The full method
- Get everything ready
Rinse the lentils as their pack directs. Prepare the onion, garlic and ginger. Drain, rinse and dry the ready-to-eat chickpeas.
- Start the curry
Warm half the oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and ground spices, stirring briefly without letting them burn.
- Simmer the lentils
Add the tomatoes, lentils, coconut milk and lentil water listed in the ingredients. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently, partly covered. Follow the lentil pack's cooking advice and stir the bottom regularly. Add water in 50 ml splashes if needed. Cook until the lentils squash completely with no hard centre, allowing longer than the estimated time if necessary.
- Cook the rice
While the curry simmers, cook the rice in a separate pan using the water and method on its pack. Aim to serve it freshly cooked, without leaving it at room temperature. See the rice-specific storage instructions for leftovers.
- Brown the chickpeas
Warm the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Carefully add the dried chickpeas and stir until hot and lightly coloured, keeping clear of any spluttering oil. Use cooked, ready-to-eat chickpeas, not dried uncooked ones.
- Fill the bowls
Check that the lentils are tender. Divide the rice and curry between your bowls and add the hot chickpeas. Finish with the optional coriander, pistachios or sesame only if suitable for everyone eating.
Swaps & variations
- Toppings: Leave out the pistachios and sesame if unwanted. For allergies, check all labels and prevent cross-contact; leaving them out is not a safety guarantee.
- Accompaniment: Try bread instead of rice, checking its allergens separately.
- Pulses: Ready-to-eat tinned beans are a possible separate variation. Dried pulses need a different cooking method and are not a direct swap.
Finish with storage
Cool, label and store by dish.
These are not seven days of fridge storage. Follow each dish's limits and freeze only where the recipe allows.
Lentil and chickpea curry with rice
- Rice: Cool in small, separate portions as quickly as possible, ideally within 1 hour. Refrigerate at 0–5°C and use within 24 hours. A mixed rice-and-curry portion follows this same shorter limit.
- Curry without rice: Cool promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Use within 48 hours or freeze suitable portions sooner. Put unused tinned ingredients in covered containers and follow their after-opening limits.
- Reheating: Reheat each portion only once until steaming throughout. Stir the curry well and eat reheated rice immediately. Do not repeatedly warm and cool either component.
- Freezing: Curry can be considered separately, following ingredient instructions; its freezer texture has not been tested. For rice, portion, cool and freeze within 1 hour of cooking. Defrost in the fridge, then reheat until steaming before eating. No recipe-specific freezer-life claim is made.