Sweet Potato, Red Lentil and Spinach Curry

This is a rich and filling dish, which still doesn't feel too "wintery", perhaps because of the vibrant orange colors. The lentils offer protein and the sweet potatoes are the starch, so this dish makes a complete meal by itself.

The original recipe is from Al-Haschulchan's vegetarian cookbook, but I felt the flavors needed a bit of adjusting.

Sweet Potato, Red Lentil and Spinach Curry

Ingredients (for 4 portions): 

- 1 cup red lentils
- about 4 small sweet potatoes (this adds up to about 700 grams), sliced into thin disks or small chunks.
- 1 tbsp canola oil
-  1 onion, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 3 heaped tsp Thai red curry paste (make sure you use a vegetarian/vegan kind)
- 1 tbsp grainy mustard
- 1 can coconut milk (I used light)
- 1 large package (about 300 grams) baby spinach leaves
- handful of chopped cilantro (optional)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- juice from 1 lemon
 - salt and chili powder, to taste

Preparation: 

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the red lentils and a little bit of salt, and cook for about 10 minutes, until the lentils soften but still keep their shape. Drain.

2. Cook the sweet potato slices in water for 20 minutes or bake in an oven at 180 C/350F until softened.

3. Heat the oil in a wok or large pan. Stir fry the onion, garlic and ginger until the onion is golden.

4. Add the curry paste and mustard and stir until the curry begins to soften, then add the lentils, sweet potatoes and the coconut milk. Stir until the curry powder is fully melted into the sauce and it all looks like cohesive dish.

5. Correct seasoning: taste the dish and see whether it is to your liking. I found it helpful to add the brown sugar and a few good squeezes of lemon juice, as well as quite a bit of salt and chili powder. However, you may prefer the dish less seasoned.

6. Add the spinach and cilantro and continue heating until the spinach wilts into the dish, stirring. Serve warm.