This nutritious and delicious dinner party pleaser is a simple yet wholly satisfying dish. Whether you’re looking for a tasty side to bring to a pot luck or just want to jazz up a mid-week flat supper, this Sri Lankan dish is the perfect recipe to impress. Adapted from BBC Good Foods, you really can’t go wrong with this hearty and wholesome meal!
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp sesame oil (or any alternative oil)
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 red chilli, finally chopped
- 1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ½ ground cumin
- 2 sweet potatoes, cut into even chunks
- 250g red split lentils
- 600ml vegetable stock
- 80g bag of spinach
Method:
To begin, heat the oil in a wide based pan, preferably with a lid. Add the onion and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, until softened. Next add the garlic and chilli and cook for a further minute before adding the remaining spices.
Turn up the heat to a medium level and add the sweet potato chunks. Make sure to stir everything together so the potato is coated in the spice mixture. Tip in the stock, lentils and some seasoning. Next bring the liquid to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover for 20 minutes. (If, like me, you can rarely find a solid pan lid in your hovel of a student flat – then tin foil will easily suffice.) You are wanting the lentils to be tender and the potato to just be holding its shape when you eventually uncover them.
Taste and add more seasoning if necessary. Then gently stir in a hearty amount of spinach to be wilted down into the mix and voila!
Image: (travellinglight) via (istockphoto)