In Indian cuisine, a curry is any sauce that uses a combination of spices and aromatics to create a variety of flavors. This simple curry leans on fresh aromatics for its flavor, no curry powder required—but if you’re a big fan of curry powder, feel free to add a little to give the dish some South Indian flavor. Perfect for when you want a quick and satisfying lunch or dinner, this 30-minute vegan recipe is also a foolproof way to try millet—an incredibly versatile but sometimes tricky-to-cook grain. 

By Darshana Thacker Wendel,

Last Updated:

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup millet
  • 1 cup finely chopped leek (white and light green parts)
  • 4 to 5 bay leaves
  • 1½ tablespoons grated fresh ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed & cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
  • 1 15-oz. can unsweetened light coconut milk
  • 1 pitted whole date, finely chopped
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground white or black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons finely snipped fresh cilantro

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan bring 2½ cups of water to boiling. Stir in millet. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. (All of the water will not be absorbed.) Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, at least 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a large skillet combine leek, bay leaves, ginger, garlic, and ½ cup water. Cook over medium 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add asparagus; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until water is evaporated and asparagus is crisp-tender.
  • Stir millet, coconut milk, date, and pepper into asparagus mixture. Bring to boiling over medium-high; remove from heat. Remove and discard bay leaves. Stir in lime juice. Season with salt and, if desired, additional lime juice. Top servings with cilantro.

Comments (11)

(4 from 8 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Sherry

I'm a millet fan! I followed the recipe (didn't add salt) and thought it was great.

Lori A

Where’s the curry? I have the FOK app and came here to the website thinking they left the ingredient off on the app. 🤔

Elise

Goodness gracious, pet peeve of mine, you can't call it a 30 minute recipe if all of the prep is considered done in the ingredients. Hate. That. So. Much. Also, whoever wrote this recipe doesn't know how to cook millet. Too much water, too little time. As other reviewers have said, it didn't come out looking like the picture - it was far more soupy in texture. All of that said, everyone enjoyed the flavors. Who wouldn't? It's coconut, ginger and garlic.

Sarah G

Subbed asparagus (not in season) with courgette and mushroom. Very very bland and squishy; felt like a dish for invalids. We chucked on some chilli flakes which helped. But I'll do something else with the rest of my bag of millet.

Susan Santer

Bland, soupy and there is no curry?

Catherine

This came out very soupy for me. I added some more cooked millet to absorb some of the liquid. It was good, and I will make it again, but I will cut back on the amount of water with which the millet is cooked, and on the amount of coconut milk.

Amy Sherman

Yummmm! I had to use broccoli instead of asparagus- but otherwise I prepared it exactly as written and it was well received by everyone including kids.

Max Zieher

Tasty, easy to make meal. I enjoyed it. Thanks for supplying the recipe!

Kerstin Groff

Umm, how do we call this a curry without any curry?

Annie Van Zyl

Coconut curry without the curry?

Lisa Muir

Simple and tasty. It’s comfort food without feeling overly full afterwards. I tried because I’m avoiding nighshades while also vegan gf without refined carbs - not easy to find so I really appreciate! Thank you

About the Author

Headshot of Darshana Thacker

About the Author

Darshana Thacker Wendel

Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
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