Creamy Coconut Lentil Dhal  

This creamy coconut lentil dhal brings together warming flavours of turmeric and garam masala to create a nutritious and tasty meal.

Packed with red lentils, sweet potato and spinach, this hearty plant based recipe is comforting and satisfying.

Great for batch cooking and suitable for freezing, this creamy lentil dhal is versatile and can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner with rice, naan or on it’s own.

Time: 1 hour Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 4 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large sweet potato, cubed
• 2 handfuls spinach, chopped
• Thumb of ginger, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 cup dried lentils
• 3 cups reduced salt vegetable stock
• 1 tin reduced fat coconut milk
• Rice or naan bread to serve

Method

1. Add the olive oil to a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, sweet potato, tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and fry for about 10 minutes until softened.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, spices (garam masala, cumin, turmeric), sugar and red lentils and stir well to combine.
3. Add the vegetable stock, coconut milk, spinach and lemon juice. Bring to the boil then allow to simmer for 40 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked and the mixture is thick and creamy.
4. Serve with rice or naan.

Top tips

You can swap out the lentils for chickpeas and the spinach for kale to vary your plant intake.

You can also add a dollop of Greek yoghurt to cool the flavour and spice.

This lentil dhal will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, and in the freezer for 2-3 months.