Coconut Curry Vegan Beef & Lentils with Pumpkin, Coconut Rice & Plantains

Some meals are worth bringing back from the archives. I originally shared this one in January 2022, after spending time in the kitchen building layers of flavor with pumpkin, green lentils, cabbage, vegetables, coconut milk, and vegan “beef.” And yes, it was kid-approved!

This is the kind of hearty, plant-based dinner I love: a fragrant coconut curry served over homemade coconut green-onion rice, with golden plantains on the side. The curry is made in the Instant Pot, but the flavor starts with the sauté.

I love seasoning my rice—it deserves flavor, too! And that sweet plantain against the savory, spiced curry? A beautiful combination.

Mecca Lee

Coconut Curry Vegan Beef & Lentils with Pumpkin, Coconut Rice & Plantains

A hearty plant-based Instant Pot coconut curry with vegan beef, green lentils, pumpkin and cabbage, served with coconut green-onion rice and golden plantains.

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Course: Main Course

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Coconut Curry

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• Red and orange bell peppers, cut into thin strips
• Fresh ginger and garlic, finely chopped or grated
• About 3 cups peeled, roughly chopped cooking pumpkin
• 1–2 small or medium carrots, sliced
• About 1/3 of a large cabbage, thinly sliced
• At least 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
• Green lentils (the original post references 1 cup as a liquid guide)
• 1 package Mah Wah teriyaki vegan beef, or homemade vegan meat shreds
• Avocado oil, for sautéing
• Several sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tsp dried pimento (allspice)
• 1/2–1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• White pepper, to taste
• Pink Himalayan salt and black pepper, to taste
• Oxtail seasoning, to season the vegan beef (check that your seasoning blend is plant-based)
• 5–6 cups well-seasoned broth, plus up to 2 cups water as needed
• About 1 1/2 cans full-fat coconut milk, added after pressure cooking

My Broth Blend

• Mushroom powder
• Chicken-flavored bouillon (plant-based)
• Roasted-garlic Better Than Bouillon
• Vegetable Better Than Bouillon
• A small piece of fresh ginger

Coconut Green-Onion Rice

• 3 cups rice, rinsed until the water runs clear
• Chopped green onions
• About 1 cup coconut milk (the remainder of the second can)
• Mushroom powder
• Additional liquid as needed for your rice and cooking method

To Serve

• Golden cooked plantains

Equipment

• Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker

Method

 

Coconut Curry

1. Chop the onion, slice the peppers and cabbage, grate the garlic and ginger, peel and cube the pumpkin, slice the carrots, and roughly chop the tomatoes. Pick through and rinse the lentils.
2. Warm the seasoned broth separately with mushroom powder, bouillon, and a small piece of ginger, then keep it ready.
3. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add avocado oil, onion, peppers, and fresh thyme. Cook until the onion starts to turn translucent. Add garlic and ginger and cook a few minutes more.
4. Stir in curry powder, turmeric, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 2–3 minutes, until fragrant. Add a splash of broth or water if the seasonings begin sticking.
5. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, and carrots, stirring so they get coated in the seasoned base. Add white pepper and a little salt, then stir in the cabbage.
6. Season the vegan beef with oxtail seasoning before adding it to the pot. Stir well and sauté everything together for about 5 minutes.
7. Stir in the lentils and broth. Scrape the bottom thoroughly so nothing is stuck. Add water if needed, keeping within the Instant Pot’s maximum fill line. My original note was that 1 cup of lentils needs at least 3 cups of cooking liquid.
8. Lock the lid and pressure cook on High for up to 15 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally; do not force the release. Follow your appliance’s safety instructions.
9. Open the lid once depressurized. Check that the lentils and pumpkin are tender. Stir in about 1 1/2 cans of full-fat coconut milk. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Let the curry warm through on Keep Warm or a gentle Sauté setting.

Coconut Green-Onion Rice

1. Rinse 3 cups of rice until the water runs clear, then cook it with chopped green onions, about 1 cup of coconut milk, mushroom powder, and enough additional liquid for your rice and cooking method.

Serve

1. Spoon the coconut curry over the rice and serve with golden cooked plantains.

Notes

Recipe originally shared by GreenHouzeEatz on January 10, 2022. Measurements reflect the original home-cooking notes; season and adjust to your taste.

From My GreenHouze Kitchen

This was a labor of love, and it reminded me that plant-based cooking doesn’t mean giving up comforting flavors. It means building them intentionally—with fresh ingredients, spices, and a little patience.

Plant • Heal • Evolve