There’s been a mason jar of red lentils in my pantry for a while now and I’ve been avoiding cooking with them because for some reason I thought they needed a lot of preparation and attention when cooking. Wrong.

Yesterday I took to the kitchen to whip up a meal for my mum and me, and the outcome?

A coconut, turmeric and spinach dal.

This Coconut, turmeric and spinach dal is one of the simplest yet most rewarding recipes I’ve cooked in a while! A wholesome dish to warm the soul in the depths of winter or on a casual Monday evening at home. It’s cheap to make and it’s easy to make lots of, so it’s perfect for feeding the family or for your next dinner party dish. I cooked a big batch and put the leftovers in the freezer for when I’m having those lazier days!

Time to prepare: 5 minutes
Time to cook: 40 minutes
Serves: 6

If you’re serving for 3 – half the ingredients!

A Coconut, turmeric and spinach dal recipe

Ingredients:

splash of vegetable oil
2 onions (white or red)
4 decent-sized garlic cloves
a chunk of fresh ginger root
4tbsp Garam Masala (I did half this and half curry powder)
2tsp turmeric
2 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
450g red lentils
1litre of boiling water
1 x tin of coconut milk
generous amount of spinach to your preference
salt to season

Sides

Naan bread!
Mango chutney and poppadoms (make an Indian night out of it!)

How to cook the Coconut, turmeric and spinach dal:

1. Prep by chopping up the onion into small chunks, grating your fresh ginger and crushing your garlic.

2. Pop a splash of oil in a pan and cook your onions on a low heat until they are all soft.

3. Add in your grated ginger and crushed garlic and stir well (smells great huh).

4. Next, add in your Garam masala powder and turmeric powder.

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5. Add in the 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, the lentils and the boiling water (I boiled it in a kettle for speed!). Lower the heat and let this simmer for about 15-20 minutes stirring often.