Sweet Potato Dhal
This delicious sweet potato dhal really hits the spot with its gently spiced and super nourishing ingredients. I’ve added coconut milk to make it extra creamy and comforting! You may well find these ingredients in your store cupboard or freezer, so it is a light but warming meal to whip up to feed your family.
Dhal, also spelled dal or daal, in Sanskrit means to split and is made from dried split pulses such as lentils and peas and then cooked with a wide range of vegetables and spices. Lentils are a nutritious superhero ingredient. They are a fantastic source of protein, iron and gut-friendly fibre. The cubes of sweet potatoes are gently fried so add a lovely texture to the soft lentils as well as being packed full of vitamin A, vitamin C and polyphenols.
Ladle this into a bowl and dunk in some naan bread, or serve it alongside a pile of veg and brown rice.
This dhal also works well heated and kept in a wide necked thermos for packed lunches.
Get our lovely Healthy Bites newsletter each week!
Each week, you’ll get an amazing recipe, a useful health tip, and an ingredient to jazz up your shopping basket! We don’t share your details with anyone else.
Sweet Potato Dhal
- 1 Onion
- 2 Garlic Clove
- 2 Sweet Potato
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil ((or coconut oil) )
- 2 tbsp Curry Powder ((mild or medium))
- 400 g Tomatoes ((tinned, chopped))
- 400 ml Coconut Milk
- 200 g Red Lentils
- 200 ml Vegetable Stock ((or chicken stock if you prefer))
- 100 g Frozen Chopped Spinach
Chop the onion, crush the garlic, and peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 2cm pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish with lid. Add the onion, garlic and sweet potatoes, and sauté for 5 minutes until soft. Add the curry powder to the pan and continue to cook for a few more minutes.
Pour in the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, red lentils and vegetable stock. Simmer for 35 minutes or until the lentils are fully cooked through, remembering to stir the pan from time to time.
Add the frozen spinach and simmer for a further 5 minutes,
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve.
- You could use a couple of large handfuls of fresh spinach in place of the frozen.
- Chicken stock has more nutrients than vegetable stock, so this would be a great swap if you’re OK with that.
- This has quite a loose texture. If you’d like it less liquid, then halve the quantity of stock and simmer until you have your desired consistency.
- Keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
This looks delicious but my daughter has been told that she shouldn’t eat tomatoes as she can’t detoxify solanine. Please could you advise a substitute for tinned tomatoes.
If you make a big batch of this Nomato sauce, you can freeze it and use it for all sorts of things like dhal/bolognaise etc https://dev.naturedoc.com/borlotti-bean-nomato-sauce/
I hope she likes it!
Cooked this morning as lunch portions for myself and already in the freezer. Delicious and a good consistency.
Made this recipe for lunch today- delicious!
I had just sprouted and cooked some chickpeas so added those instead of lentils and popped in a stick of celery. Happened to have a jar of chicken goblet stock in freezer so used that as well.
Very nutritious – hope others have enjoyed it too!
Thank you Lucinda
Easy and delicious!
Such a great recipe for this time of year! Great in the slow cooker and a huge hit with my 4 year old!