Curried Sweet Potato & Lentil Stew
This is a delicious and incredibly flavorful vegan dish. A comforting dahl or stew made with sweet potatoes, red lentils, coconut milk, and spinach, it’s the ultimate comfort food!
The dish starts with a base of onions, garlic, spices, and lentils, which you can customize to your liking by adding seasonal vegetables, market finds, or whatever you have on hand. While this recipe uses sweet potatoes, you could easily swap them for (regular) potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, or parsnips. Just be sure to keep the coconut milk for its rich flavor and the spinach for its texture and vibrant color.
Speaking of coconut milk, let’s clarify the types. There’s coconut milk for drinking—great for beverages only!—and then there’s canned coconut milk, which is much denser and creamier, perfect for cooking. Since the fat and liquid can separate during storage, give it a good shake or stir before using. For best results, store canned coconut milk in a cool pantry rather than the fridge, where it can harden and become difficult to use.
This recipe also calls for coconut butter for sautéing the ingredients, but feel free to substitute with sunflower or olive oil—it won’t affect the taste significantly.
Curried Sweet Potato & Lentil Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut butter
- 2 cm grated ginger (3/4 inch)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 large onion
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp curry
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- 200 g red lentils
- 200 g spinach
- 150-200 ml coconut milk
- 600 ml vegetable stock
Instructions
- Put the coconut butter, grated ginger and garlic in the Crockpot Dutch oven. Sauté for a few seconds, then add the finely chopped onion.
- Stovetop Alternative: Heat the coconut butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the grated ginger and garlic, and sauté for a few seconds until fragrant. Then, stir in the finely chopped onion and cook until softened.
- Sauté the onion for one minute, then add the spices. Stir well, then add the evenly diced sweet potatoes and one cup of lentils, then top up with the vegetable stock.
- Cover and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes or until the sweet potato is tender, then add the spinach and the coconut milk.
- Serve the stew with extra coconut milk, chili flakes, and coriander leaves (use frozen if you have to but fresh is best🌿).
- It’s dahl-icious! ❤️
Notes
Related: Creamy Coconut Red Lentil Curry
Related: Red Lentil Dahl w/ Butternut Squash & Cinnamon
Related: Creamy Red Lentil Soup w/ Roasted Pepper Salad
Related: Creamy Mulligatawny Soup
Related: Harira: Moroccan Chickpea & Tomato Soup
The sweet potato and coconut milk work really well together. Feels like a very nutritious dish. : )