Sweet Potato & Lentil Curry with Curcuma

A good default dish to have

I also really like making curries because I can simply throw all my ingredients into a big pot, to then see the textures transform, the sweet potato soften, the liquids absorb and the spices awaken. Basically, this is food magic! Eating the curry is equally comforting because you get to hold a steaming hot bowl in your excited hands, slowly scooping the spicy warmth into your system while tasting the deliciousness and knowing that it fuels your body. Hach, let’s make that curry.

Servings: 3-4

Total time: 50 min

For the curry

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils

1 cup hot water

1 large sweet potato or 2 small ones

½ head of cauliflower

1 small zucchini

400ml full-fat coconut milk

1 tbsp coconut oil 

3 cloves of garlic

1 red onion

ginger, thumb-sized

1 tsp yellow curry paste

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tbsp sesame seeds 

1 tsp curcuma

¼ tsp mustard seeds

salt and pepper to taste

to serve:

 fresh mint or cilantro

lemon wedges

plant-based yoghurt

optional: brown rice, if you need something more filling

Instructions

1. To prepare, cut the sweet potato, cauliflower and zucchini into equally small chunks (choose a mouth-friendly size, however, if you like your pieces to be a bit bigger than 1cm, go for it! – cooking them will take slightly longer though.)

2. Finely chop the garlic, onion and ginger into small pieces.

3. In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, onion and ginger and fry along with the curcuma, chili, mustard seeds, sesame seeds and curry paste. This will bring the aroma out even more, trust me! Add a splash of water so they don’t burn. 

4. Once this mix is sautéed and smells aromatic, add the sweet potato, cauliflower and zucchini. Let them fry for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the lentils, coconut milk and the cup of hot water, give it all a good stir, season with salt and pepper and cover with a lid. Allow your curry to sizzle for 30 minutes on medium heat. Occasionally stir so as to not burn your precious curry!

6. When the liquids have been almost entirely absorbed and the curry turned into a creamy texture, we are ready to gather at the table!

7. To serve, scoop some curry into a bowl, sprinkle with some fresh herbs of choice and squeeze some lemon on top! Lastly add a dollop of yoghurt and you can start enjoying your meal. 

8. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy and please do not forget to enjoy some more!