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Here's a really simple meal that gives a colourful boost to your nutrition...and your eyes!
Sharpham House cook Sybille was inspired by cook Anna Jones to make a dal seasoned with lemon and cinnamon - but with the addition of our own home-growned kale from our organic walled garden behind Sharpham House.
She washed the kale and stirred it into the dal, until it was cooked through.
Then she served it with purple & orange sweet potatoes (delivered by our friends at Riverford Organics because we don't grow potatoes here), flavoured with cumin and fennel seeds, with two types of broccoli, including purple sprouting.
"You get beautiful colours on the plate - and lovely flavours," she said. "It's a nutritious meal that's well balanced".
And so easy...
This makes enough for four people
Ingredients for the vegetables
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
- half-teaspoon of fennel seeds
Ingredients for the dahl
- 2 cloves of garlic
- a thumb-size of fresh ginger
- 1 green chilli
- 1 red onion
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 200g red lentils
- 1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
- 400ml vegetable stock
- 2 large handfuls of kale
- a bunch of fresh coriander
- juice of 1 lemon
Method
"Normally I like to soak the lentils, either overnight or at least for a couple of hours and wash them really well. It's easier to digest the dahl if you do so," says Sybille.
"Sweat the onions until they are almost caramelised - it makes the dahl really good!"
Then add the garlic, ginger, chilli and all the spices, frying for a few minutes until the air is deliciously fragrant!
Add the lentils, followed by the coconut milk and the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer.
Says Sybille: "I like to simmer it on a low heat maybe for an hour or two. I like cooking it a good while, then it gets really soft".
Cube the sweet potatoes, place them on a baking tray with some olive oil, salt and pepper, fennel and cumin seeds.
Roast in the oven at 190c for around 20 minutes, or until they are crispy.
"Stir in the kale towards the end of cooking the dahl and don't forget to add the lemon juice at the end too - that's really important! It's lovely to serve this with yoghurt or a cucumber raita. Instead of the kale, you could add chard or spinach too".
