Massaman Inspired Sweet Potato & Lentil Curry
Inspired by the peanut based massaman curry, I've made a version based on what was in my cupboards. Luckily it turned out absolutely delicious I wanted to share the recipe with you.
Ingredients
For the curry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 white onion finely diced
- 4 large cloves garlic finely diced
- 1 red chilli finely chopped
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger (½ grated and ½ chopped finely)
- 2 stalks fresh lemongrass
- 400 ml veg stock
- 90 g red lentils ½ cup
- 1 tsp tamari
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 400 ml tinned coconut milk
Veg
- 1 red pepper cut into large slices
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 70 g fresh or frozen spinach
Spices & seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground dried coriander
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 2 bay leaves
To garnish
- 1 lime quartered
- 2 spring onions finely chopped
- 1 tsp black & white sesame seeds
- Drizzle chilli olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan, when hot add the diced onion and chilli and fry for around 4-5 minutes
- Add the chopped ginger and pepper chunks and fry for a further 3-4 minutes before adding the finely chopped garlic and allow to cook before tossing in the sweet potato chunks
- Stir in the spices, lemongrass stalks and bay leaves and heat for a few minutes before adding the lentils and stock
- Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes then turn the heat down to a medium temperature whilst adding the tamari, grated ginger, peanut butter with a generous pinch of salt and bubble for a further 15 minutes until the lentils have softened
- Once the lentils have broken down add the spinach and coconut milk and stir together, giving a taste test after a few minutes - this is the perfect chance to add any more seasoning or spice to your preference
- Serve up with basmati rice or naan (or both) with a fresh squeeze lime, sprinkle of sesame seeds and finely chopped spring onion
- Enjoy!
Notes
- if you have pre-soaked your lentils you will only need around 400ml of water + stock cube, however if cooking them from scratch, rinse them and add an extra 200-300ml water to the pot when cooking
- Don't forget to take the lemongrass stalks out of the curry before serving
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 portions with rice / naan