Dahl gratin with sweet potatoes
A thick, restorative dahl-like mix topped with a bright selection of our sweet potatoes. If you can’t be bothered with building the gratin you can simply bake or roast the sweet potatoes separately, whole or as wedges, and serve it alongside the dahl that will just need a little extra cooking time until the lentils are completely soft.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon curry leaves
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
- 3cm piece of ginger, finely chopped or grated
- 2 tbsp medium curry powder
- 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 250g red lentils, rinsed
- 2 tins coconut milk
- 200g spinach
- 3 sweet potatoes – we’ve used a mix of orange, purple and Murasaki
- ghee or oil for cooking
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Warm some ghee or oil in a saucepan and gently cook the onion for 10 minutes, until starting to soften.
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Step 2
Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves to the onion. Cook for 2 minutes before adding the garlic and ginger, followed by the curry powder, lentils, tomatoes and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and season well with salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 20 minutes, until the lentils have just softened.
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Step 3
While the dahl cooks, wash the spinach well and cook it briefly in a frying pan until it has just started to wilt, it should only take 20-30 seconds. Cool immediately under cold water and then drain and squeeze out excess water with your hands. Roughly chop the squeezed spinach and keep to one side.
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Step 4
Wash the sweet potatoes and cut them into ½ cm thick discs. Preheat your oven to 180˚C/Gas Mark 4.
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Step 5
When the dahl is ready, stir in the chopped spinach and transfer it to a suitable roasting tray or oven dish. Layer the sweet potatoes on top, brush with a little ghee or oil and season with a pinch of salt. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and have started to colour at the edges.