The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.
As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.
Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.
Sri Lankan-spiced Basa with Creamy Lentils & Tomato Salsa
Fill your bellies with the warming flavours of this coconut stew, featuring responsibly-sourced basa. A creamy base of fibre-rich lentils, coconut milk and kale meets fiery tomato salsa and crunchy cumin seeds for that oh-so-delicious kick.
High protein
1/3 daily fibre
6 plants
Serving size
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 110g baby tomatoes
- 1 handful of fresh coriander
- 2 basa fillets (Fish)
- 10g vegetable stock powder (Chicory Extract, Salt, Yeast Extracts, Onion Powder, Carrot Extract, Tomato Powder, Rapeseed Oil, Natural Flavouring.)
- 200ml coconut milk (Coconut, Water)
- 1 tbsp Sri Lankan spice blend (Coriander, Fenugreek, Cumin, Fennel, Cayenne Pepper, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Curry Leaves, Clove)
- 4 tsp ginger & garlic paste (Ginger puree IQF, Garlic puree IQF, Citric Acid, Water)
- 1 unwaxed lime
- 1 chilli
- 1 onion
- 80g red split lentils (Red Split Lentil 99%, Vegetable Oil 1%)
- 80g Kale (whole leaf) (Kale (whole leaf))
Nutritional Information
Calories: 546
Protein: 41g
Carbs: 37g
Fat: 28g
Ingredients
- 80g red split lentils (use half) (Red Split Lentil 99%, Vegetable Oil 1%)
- 80g Kale (whole leaf) (use half) (Kale (whole leaf))
- 200ml coconut milk (use half) (Coconut, Water)
- 1 basa fillet (Fish)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (use half)
- 4 tsp ginger & garlic paste (use half) (Ginger puree IQF, Garlic puree IQF, Citric Acid, Water)
- 110g baby tomatoes (use half)
- 10g vegetable stock powder (use half) (Chicory Extract, Salt, Yeast Extracts, Onion Powder, Carrot Extract, Tomato Powder, Rapeseed Oil, Natural Flavouring.)
- 1 unwaxed lime (use half)
- 1 handful of fresh coriander (use half)
- 1 tbsp Sri Lankan spice blend (use half) (Coriander, Fenugreek, Cumin, Fennel, Cayenne Pepper, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Curry Leaves, Clove)
- 1 onion (use half)
- 1 chilli (use half)
Nutritional Information
Calories: 550
Protein: 42g
Carbs: 37g
Fat: 28g
Sri Lankan-spiced Basa with Creamy Lentils & Tomato Salsa
Fill your bellies with the warming flavours of this coconut stew, featuring responsibly-sourced basa. A creamy base of fibre-rich lentils, coconut milk and kale meets fiery tomato salsa and crunchy cumin seeds for that oh-so-delicious kick.
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Cooking Instructions
Before you start
- Bring a medium saucepan filled with salted water to a boil
- Pull out a large lidded saucepan, a medium bowl, a grater, a sieve & a measuring jug
Cook the lentils
- Add the lentils to the saucepan of boiling water and boil for 8-10 mins, until softened but not fully cooked, then drain
Combine the flavours
- Meanwhile, finely slice the onion. Deseed and thinly slice the chilli. Zest the lime to get a pinch, then cut into wedges
- Heat the large saucepan with 1 tbsp oil on medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, ginger & garlic paste, half the chilli (or to taste) and a pinch of salt
- Cook for 4-5 mins, until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the Sri Lankan spice blend and cook for 1 min
Simmer simmer
- Stir in the coconut milk, stock powder, lime zest, drained lentils and 50ml water (25ml for 1 person)
- Bring to the boil, then lay the basa into the sauce. Cover with a lid and simmer for 11 mins, until the fish is cooked through
Make the salsa
- Roughly chop the coriander. Quarter the tomatoes. Rinse the whole kale leaves, then strip from the stalks and cut into bite-sized pieces
- In the medium bowl, add the tomatoes, cumin seeds, juice from half the lime, the remaining chilli (or to taste) and a pinch of salt. Toss to combine
Finish & plate up
- Check your fish is cooked through; it should be steaming hot, opaque and separate easily with a fork
- Once cooked, carefully remove the basa from the pan. Check the lentils are tender and cooked through
- Stir the kale into the lentils and simmer for 2 mins, until wilted. Add a splash of water if it looks dry
- Stir through half the coriander and the juice from the remaining lime. Season to taste
- Share the lentils between bowls, topped with the basa. Spoon over the tomato salsa. Sprinkle over the remaining coriander to finish
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