Big-batch recipe · Vegan
Red lentil and peanut dal
6 portions, about 22 g of protein in each. 15 minutes of hands-on work and 35 min of cooking.
Where it sits in the week
What this one is for
On the vegan track this is a Sunday cook — the long session, which covers Monday to Wednesday. Cooked once, portioned hot, and eaten across the days that session covers — on the seven-day plan it turns up at Saturday lunch.
Two portions is about 44 g of protein — our own arithmetic on the figure above, not a separate measurement. Protein targets on this site are computed against goal weight or lean mass rather than scale weight, which is the whole of Real Fuel.
Part of the vegan meal plan, cooked in the two-session prep schedule.
What goes in
- 3 cups dried red lentils, rinsed
- 2/3 cup natural peanut butter
- 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
- 1 can (14 oz) chopped tomatoes
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- 2 onions, 6 cloves garlic, 2 inches ginger
- 3 tbsp curry powder, 1 tsp turmeric, chilli to taste
- Juice of 2 limes, a big bunch of coriander
How
- Fry the onion, garlic and ginger for 6 minutes, add the spices, fry another minute.
- Add lentils, stock and tomatoes. Simmer 25 minutes, stirring so the bottom does not catch.
- Off the heat, stir in the peanut butter and coconut milk until it goes glossy.
- Lime and coriander at the end, not the start. It is what stops six portions tasting identical.
Keeping it: Fridge 4 days, freezer 3 months. It thickens overnight — loosen it with a splash of water when you reheat.
Nothing on this page is medical advice. It is a plan written for general strength training in healthy adults, and any condition or medication you are managing outranks it.
Doing it cheaper
Swaps that apply to this one
From the vegan track's budget version, filtered to the ingredient this recipe actually uses.
| Instead of | Use | Why it is worth it |
|---|---|---|
| Almond milk | Soy milk | Almond milk is about 1 g of protein a cup. Soy is 7 to 8. On this plan that difference matters. |
The prices behind these swaps, with sources, are in the protein-per-dollar table.
The rest of the vegan week
3 more big-batch recipes on this track, plus the seven-day plan they feed.