I love to try and find new things to cook at home each week, however sometimes it can be tricky to think of something quick, simple and tasty that we haven’t already done before. Looking at recipe books, social media and what other food bloggers are cooking, I find is a good way to get inspiration. I saw a photo recently on Instagram by Lucienne Simpson who posted a picture of a tomato and coconut dahl that she had batch made on a Sunday. I used some basic ingredients to try and recreate the idea of the dish and attempted to garnish the lentil curry in a similar way. Although Lucienne’s definitely looks much prettier than mine did, it still tasted pretty good! We made this again a second time and stirred in some raw king prawns for the last 5 minutes of cooking for some added meatynesses.

The recipe serve 4

Ingredients

300g dry red lentils

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 large white onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed or grated

30g fresh ginger, grated

1 1/2 tablespoons tomato puree

2 tablespoons curry powder

450-550ml vegetable stock

400ml full fat coconut milk

400ml chopped tomatoes

1 mild green fresh chilli, finely sliced

250-300g bag baby spinach

Green chillies or pickled chillies, natural yoghurt, sunflower seeds, sliced spring onion, fresh coriander leaves and fresh lemon wedges to serve

Method

1. Heat coconut oil in a large pan or casserole pan over a medium heat.
2. Cook onions for 4-5 minutes until they have softened, be careful not to burn.
3. Stir in the ginger, garlic and chilli and cook for a further 2 minutes.
4. Add tomato puree, curry powder, season to taste and cook for approximately 1 minute until fragrant.
5. Pour in the coconut milk, vegetable stock, tomatoes and lentils. Sir everything together and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the lentils are tender (approx. 30 minutes). Add more vegetable stock or water throughout cooking to change consistency as desired.
6. In a separate pan, add a tablespoon of water over a medium to high heat and stir in the spinach a handful at a time, stirring for a few minutes until wilted.
7. Serve the lentil curry in bowls and top with spinach, chillies, a sprinkle of sunflower seeds, sliced spring onion, fresh coriander leaves and a squeeze of fresh lemon.