Friday, November 30, 2012

Food on Friday: BBC's Sweet potato, spinach and lentil dahl


One cool autumn evening, I came home from work late and Peter had a big pot of this delicious Indian stew warming on the stove.  (A very luck girl I am indeed.)

One bite and the chill in my bones from waiting outside at the train station and then walking home was gone.

This dish is truly awesome.  Here's why:

- it's cheap (lentils aren't expensive and neither are sweet potatoes, even in Germany)
- it's vegetarian and, as far as I know, vegan
- it's a snap to throw together
- it makes great leftovers
- it's healthy
- it's likely you will always have all the ingredients you need
- it's warm and spicy...perfect for winter nights


Even if you have never tried Indian food and aren't very adventurous in the kitchen, you will love this.  I know, because my parents liked it and they aren't exactly big ethnic food eaters.   It's got their seal of approval already.  

The recipe comes from the BBC Good Food website (it's also an app), which Peter and I absolutely love.  I highly recommend it.  Despite the general reputation of British food, we've never been disappointed with a recipe we have tried from there.  There are all kinds of recipes, from Cajun to Moroccan to Indian and they're all delicious and adventurous!  

I hope you enjoy this recipe and have a fantastic weekend!



Sweet potato, spinach and lentil dahl 
BBC Good Food

100 grams red lentils (1/2 US cup)
450 ml vegetable stock (a little less than 2 US cups)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 red chili, finely chopped
1 large sweet potato, cut into small pieces
2 handfuls of young leaf spinach, shredded (we've used frozen spinach when we didn't have fresh on hand and it turned out great)
2 naan bread, warmed, for serving (optional)

Put all the ingredients except the sweet potato, spinach and naans in a pan, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the sweet potato and cook until tender, another 10-12 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook for a minute until wilted.




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