Sweet potato and lentil curry
VEGAN II GLUTEN FREE II SOY FREE II DAIRY FREE II NUT FREE II SESAME FREE II TOP 14 FREE
Spicy and rich in flavour, this sweet potato and lentil curry are made with orange and yellow lentils. I absolutely love to cook this dish when I’m in the mood for something warm and savoury. The ingredients used make this recipe a perfect dish for western home chefs looking for a taste inspired by my native country India.
My mother used to make this recipe a lot growing up. This is such a great budget-friendly recipe and great to make for the family or batch cooking which is what I did with this recipe. I managed to get 5 meals, I would normally eat this with brown rice and a little salad, however, quinoa or pasta are great options too ( yes I know pasta seems weird but try it with spaghetti it’s really good).
Notes on ingredients
Lentils
Use orange lentils and chana dal for this recipe to achieve a smooth and flavorful curry. These lentils are available at Indian stores and supermarkets.
Spices
I used garam masala in this recipe. Take a look here at this brand, it’s is a lot milder and has less cinnamon than the pre-ground masala. I pick out the bay leaf and use it in rice dishes and grind the masala using my Nutri bullet or spice grinder. It really is worth doing this yourself. The taste of the dish is really elevated using this masala. Alternatively, use a pre-ground variety. The cheapest and best place to buy Indian spices is at your local Indian store.
Ingredients
Cooking tips
If you want to boil the lentils using a pressure cooker, please do. It will cut the cooking time down drastically.
Ensure that the onions are really brown. Just a couple of minutes after they turn golden brown, is perfect.
This curry will freeze beautifully and is great to batch cook, which I do in the winter.
The dhal will be in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days.
Try cooking this recipe with chicken. Add bone-in chicken thighs once you add the carrot to the curry base. Cook this for 35 minutes, add the lentils, and cook the chicken until the potatoes are soft.
FAQ
Do you have to soak lentils?
If you soak the chana dal overnight, that will speed up the cooking process, and it won’t take 2 hours to cook either. I would not soak the orange lentils as they are fast to cook.
Should I soak the lentils in hot or cold water?
To get a proper soak going, make sure that you pick through your lentils so no hard stones remain, and give them a cool rinse. Pour your lentils into a large pot and cover them with cold water. Allow to soak for at least 4 hours or overnight and up to 24 hours for best results.
Feeds 6 - 2.5 hrs cooking time
Step by step
Recipe
50 g orange lentils
150 g chana dhal ( yellow split chickpeas)
5 pints water
1 large onion finely chopped
3 tsp olive or coconut oil
3 cloves garlic
35 g ginger
2 green chilli ( blend the chilli/garlic/ginger to a paste with a little olive oil in a Nutribullet or similar)
3 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 carrots peeled and finely chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 medium sweet potato roughly chopped large dice
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 carrots finely chopped
salt to taste
1/4 bunch chopped coriander
Method
Start by boiling the lentils with 1/2 tsp salt till soft.
( approx 1-2 hours)
To make your curry base, brown the onions in a hot pan and then add the garlic/chilli and ginger paste and stir for a couple of minutes. (If you cannot blend this into a paste just grate the ginger and garlic and finely chop the chilli)
Add half the masala, and the black pepper and turmeric and cookout for a few minutes to release the spices, then add the tin of chopped tomatoes, use the empty tin to fill up with water and add to the curry base.
Add the chopped carrot and then simmer for 15 minutes.
Once the lentils have softened, add to the curry base and top up with another pint of water and add the sweet potatoes, cook till the potatoes have softened. If you want a thicker dhal just keep simmering with the lid off so it reduces.
I garnished this dish with coriander and a confetti of really finely sliced and diced red cabbage, courgette, red onion and carrot, and served it with brown rice.
Food shopping tips
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This blog contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using the links. I have personally vetted and used all the products that I recommend.
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