Warming red lentil dhal with leafy greens and sweet potato
This is a staple in our home. It is fast, easy and nutritious. Red lentils cook super fast and they are full of fibre which is contributing to healthy gut function. Fibre is a very much overlooked nutrient and quite possibly one of the most important contributors to overall health and longevity. I myself was never really interested in the fibre content of foods and for a very long time neglected it.
Since diving deeper into nutritional therapy I have completely shifted my perspective and the science is there to prove the importance of fibre. Lack of fibre can contribute to irregular bowel movements, constipation, IBS symptoms.
On the other hand, diets that have been proven to improve overall health such as the Mediterranean diets or the diets in the blue zones are super rich in fibre contributing to healthy blood glucose markers, cardiovascular health and digestive health.
However, if you find that fibre creates negative symptoms in your digestive system then you might need to test your stool to investigate if you have any gut dysbiosis.
In this recipe, star ingredients are also the beautiful spices such as turmeric, ginger, cumin and cinnamon that have amazing properties for the digestive system, immune system and hence affecting your overall health. They are anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, help to reduce flatulence and can help balance blood sugar levels.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp Ghee or extra virgin olive oil
A generous piece of fresh ginger grated
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
½ tbsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of chilli powder
2 carrots grated or/and sweet potatoes
250g red split lentils, rinsed
5 handfuls of leafy green like kale or spinach, chopped. You can also use frozen spinach cubes.
750ml (3 cups) water or more if needed
1 x 400ml tin of full-fat coconut milk (you can discard the coconut oil that stays on top sometimes)
optional 2 fresh tomatoes chopped in small cubes
juice of 1 lime or lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh coriander leaves and toasted nuts or seeds to serve (optional)
In this recipe I also put some leftover baked sweet potato cubes. You can easily cube a sweet potato and bake until slightly brown with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Then just top the dhal with it.
METHOD
Add olive oil and a splash of water and gently cook the onion until soft.
Once water evaporates add garlic, ginger, cumin, mustard, turmeric, cinnamon and chilli and cook for 30 seconds.Add carrot, and stir through.
Add lentils, water and coconut milk. Bring to boil and simmer for 20—30 minutes, lid on, but stirring from time to time, until the lentils are cooked. If they stick at the bottom add more water.
Add the tomatoes and leafy greens (whether fresh or frozen) cook for 10 minutes and until greens and tomatoes are soft and incorporated in the dhal. Add the lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with coriander and toasted nuts and seeds on top and sweet potato.
Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil.