Sweet Potato and Lentil Dhal

So here it is, as promised, the recipe for my Sweet Potato Dhal that makes the perfect accompaniment to the crunchy Spiced Red Cabbage that I posted yesterday.

This is actually a combination of two of the very first recipes that I posted on this blog about a year ago, Sweet Potato Curry  and Indian Dhal Soup with Potato Stuffed Parathas. I love both of these dishes so much that I couldn’t choose which one to cook which is why I decided to combine them.

I’m so glad I did.

Sweet Potato & Lentil Dhal Recipe

Serves 6 as  part of a meal, vegan, gluten-free

Prep Time: 15 mins Cooking Time: 30 mins

• 1 tbsp coco oil (or veg oil)
• 2 tsp panch pooran (a whole spice mix) or use a combination of cumin seeds, mustard seeds & fennel seeds
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 or 2 red chillis (depending on you & the chilli) finely chopped
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 150 gr dried quick cook lentils
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

• 2 large sweet potatoes scrubbed well & cut into 2cm chunks
• 1 tin (400 ml) chopped tomatoes
• about 800 ml veg stock
• about 200 gr (1/2 tin/ jar) cooked lentils, blended to a puree
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon
• a squeeze of honey (about 1 tbsp)
• a handful of chopped coriander plus leaves for garnish
• salt & black pepper

Heat the coconut/veg oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the seeds and cook until they start to sputter then add the onion and stir to coat in the spices. Cook  for about 4 minutes until softened then add the garlic, chilli, ginger and the rest of the powdered spices with a splash of the veg stock to stop it burning. 

Cook for another minute then add the dried lentils, sweet potato and chopped tomatoes. Season well with salt & black pepper and add the veg stock.

Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft.

Add the blended cooked lentils and heat through for another 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, fresh coriander and honey. Taste and season with more salt & pepper if necessary.

Serve garnished with fresh coriander leaves, the spiced red cabbage, basmati rice and some Indian bread to scoop it up.

Things That Made Me Smile Today…….

All these dogs have been abandoned and are being looked after by a charity called SOS. This is just a small selection of them and unfortunately the charity has been evicted from their usual site so all the dogs have either been temporarily fostered out or are in Cat & Dog World (a kennels) while they try to find a new premises.

The usual volunteers have gone back to Sweden for Christmas so I have been walking these dogs with my friend Martine every moring for the past few days. They are all so beautiful and really friendly. All they want is love and for someone to give them a forever home.

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