curried lentils and sweet potatoes
After all of the holiday buzz this curried lentil and sweet potato dish landed exactly on that bridge, a lazy Sunday after a flurry of a holiday weekend. It’s from the New York Times Thanksgiving coverage two weeks ago, from an article by Melissa Clark about vegetarian dishes fitting the meal. But really, it had my name all over it, because the sweet potatoes were made spicy, not saccharine, and the Indian-spiced lentils and greens were exactly the health kick I needed after this weekend of heavy intake, with the ease of a one-pot meal. I don’t need a holiday dinner to find an excuse to make it.
I know it’s not easy on the eyes–heck, it would be a great contestant in an ugliest gourmet contest, but as Cathy so aptly notes, the best home-cooked food is rarely ready for its close-up. Honestly, it was so good, we couldn’t have cared less.
One year ago: Blondies
Curried Lentils With Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard
Adapted from The New York Times 11/14/07
Yields 8 to 10 side-dish servings; 6 main-course servings.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, then minced
4 to 5 cups vegetable broth as needed
2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into
1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 pound Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 cup finely chopped tamari almonds, for garnish (optional), available in health food stores
1/4 cup chopped scallions, for garnish.
1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
2. Stir in 4 cups broth, sweet potatoes, lentils and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup stock, as needed.) Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.
3. Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds if desired and scallions.
Actually, I think it looks quite pretty.
Lentils? Indian spices? Sweet potatoes? I have been obsessed with all three individually for so long! And, as if that were not reason enough to make this tomorrow night…
I just bought tamari almonds.
Its kismet.
WOW!!!! Looks and sounds DELICIOUS!!!!! I will definitely try this!!!!
Thanks for sharing!!!
I agree with Jessica that it looks pretty, in that earthy, I-know-it’s-going-to-make-me-feel-good way. And I totally agree about the sweet potatoes. I love mine savoury and spicy. Lately we’ve been roasting them tossed in smoked paprika.
I’ve been looking for another warm recipe for a cold day to add to my collection. And, B will definitely love the Indian flavor that the dish brings. Onto the long list it goes.
So, I agree with the others, this looks very tasty and pretty. It also looks like the kind of thing I could also sneak some turkey into without anybody noticing it too much, whaddya think?
Yum. I love Indian food and this looks like something I can duplicate at home. It doesn’t look too spicy either.
Hi Deb!
This actually, truly elicited a grumble from my stomach. This is exactly what I’m in the mood for! However, there is no Swiss Chard to be found in either of my nearby grocery stores! Can you offer a suitable substitute?
Thanks!!!
Hi Amanda — I’d stir some spinach in at the end. Instead of adding the greens at the between the 25 minute and 30 minute cooking spans, at the 45 minute mark. Not that familiar with other greens, but if you are, I’d cook them in according to the regular amount of time they’d take to soften. Good luck!
Mary — I bet you could. ;)
This sounds like a great recipe. I’m somewhat obsessed with sweet potatoes since I discovered that I do like them when they aren’t buried in mini-marshmallows. And the cilantro and lime at the end is the clincher for me!
Sounds really appealing… and it looks nice too. :-)
that’s a long list of ingredients right there. but i can see how they would all build on each other. and i disagree. i think it looks pretty good. but i haven’t eaten anything but tea and some fruit and i’m on day 4 !!! so don’t mind me…
This definitely looks pretty! We’re up to our eyeballs in chard now so it’s good to have another idea for it!
Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes. Wanted you to know that I tried out 2 over the weekend – the Pumpkin Bread Pudding was a great hit with my brother-in-law, who tried to hide the dish so no one else could have any. Unsuccessfully. Did you know that people (at least in my family) either love or hate the bread pudding? I think it is all about the squishy bread.
Also made an apple pie last night for the first time in years. I’ve always had trouble with the crust and gave up years ago. Your crust with vodka worked out great even using all shortening and no butter. I’ll try the butter next time. No one can say I make it like mom, but it’s close! Thanks!
Deb
This is my first comment to you (having been a reader for a long time)
Am at home with a broken wrist and i know you probably have a lot to read etc, but I wanted to send you this link to the Guardian Newspaper Guide to Baking – its a UK paper but there are some very yummy things here.
I’ll be passing on the lentil dish to my dear fiance to whip up, as unfortunately, i can’t chop a thing!
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/baking/0,,2210837,00.html
hi deb – i only have canned lentils, so i won’t need to monitor them for cooking. when should i add them in? should i adjust the broth amount too?
This looks delicious, Deb, as are most of the recipes you post. Question: where do I find garam masala in NYC? Do you know of anywhere in the Union Square/West Village/Chelsea area?
Thanks!
Oh.My.God.This.Was.So.Good. I read this post this morning and was immediately able to make it for lunch! I had to pillage my winter garden for a few scrawny leaves of swiss chard, but had everything else on hand. What a fabulous, delicious and healthy dish! So many thanks for warming my cold house with this yummy recipe on such a bleak and rainy day!
Mmmmm, Indian comfort food. I recently discovered how good sweet potatoes are roasted with salt and cumin and eaten with chile relish – your lentil-yam mush looks fabulous as well.
Good Indian food is hardly ever pretty for the camera, alas.
I’m back!
I made this tonight for dinner with Deb’s suggestion of Spinach instead of the Chard. Other than this substitution and doubling the garlic, I followed the recipe exactly. And I have to say that as it was cooking and the boyfriend and I were tasting I was LOVING it; absolutely excited for the lentils to be soft enough to stir in the cilantro and lime and call dinner served. Unfortunately once it got to the table and we dug in, I decided that I definitely preferred it before adding the citrus. I don’t know if my lime was particularly potent, but combining zest and juice, I thought it was too much tang banging against the quiet sweet of the dish. The bf on the other hand, couldn’t get enough and has said there will be no problem eating the HUGE pot of leftovers for lunch this week.
I would make this again for certain, but am nervous removing the lime without adding something else; I don’t want the dish to lose depth. Any suggestions? Deb? Readers?
Hi! I just wanted to say I made the brussell sprouts and califlower recipe off your site for Thanksgiving and it turned out amazing. I can’t believe people don’t like those veggies. Thanks for sharing, it made me proud to actually bring something unique to Thanksgiving instead of “Here, hun…make this and use my recipe.” Peace and joy.
If you soak the lentils for 6 hrs, then rinse them well and let them sprout in a jar covered with a clean knee high nylon secured with a rubber band for 12 hrs, (or until they send a little shoot out) you’ll triple the nutrition in the lentils. They will cook in about 30 minutes total, as well. Sprouted lentils are also great raw in salads, soups, anything really. Save a few to top this recipe as a garnish.
Thanks for posting this warm and comfy recipe on a day that saw my city covered in huge, fluffy snowflakes!
I made it last night after dinner (to bring for lunches this week). From the few little tastes I took from the pot, it seems to have turned out wonderfully…albeit ugly. Yours was very pretty in comparison to mine.
I’m wondering if you can tell me what kind of lentils you used? I (without thinking) used the same red lentils that I normally use when I make Indian food, and as such, the stew turned into mushy daal…very yummy, but different from yours.
Do you think that this would work with regular potatoes? I don’t have any sweet potatoes…nor do I have the funds to buy them right now : (
On a completely unrelated to this dish note, I made the Jacques Pepin gougeres last night and they were freakin amazing! The pate choix was messy as hell but totally worth it. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
I made this dish last night (along with my chicken stock for the noodle soup this evening)…with the Christmas lights up and the candles burning….I can’t even begin to describe how yummy my apartment smelled.
This dish is WONDERFUL! And so healthy!!! My potatoes and lentils are a little on the mushy side…but it tastes so good. I used kale instead of chard as the market did not have any (strange) and it turned out just fine. I think using spinach would have been one more mushy thing, so I think it worked out. The cilantro and scallions are truly a wonderful topper.
Thank you so much for sharing this new favorite with me!
Thanks so much for the vegetarian recipe! I’m always on the lookout for these since they can be hard to come by. Now I wish I had picked up some chard this morning at the store…
I had my eye on this recipe too — as well as the kale/squash ragout. Glad to know this one is a winner!
Hooray for savory sweet potato recipes! My family always fixed sweet-fruity sweet potatos, but my guy doesn’t like sweet dishes during the main meal – so now I’m always in search of new savory sweet potato preps… Thank you!
- Astra Libris
http://foodforlaughter.blogspot.com
Jessica — Thank you.
Hanne — Ooh, I cannot get enough of smoked paprika. I’ve made hash browns twice over the weekend, just as an excuse to eat it.
Erina — Hmm, I was hoping someone else would weigh in because I am not sure how much water lentils use when they cook, so you know how much to take out. My guess would be 2 or 3 parts water to 1 part lentils, but I’m not positive. Help?
bean — I’m pretty sure I’ve seen garam masala at Garden of Edens, Whole Foods and other fancier grocery stories. If nothing else, Kalustyans on East 28th (and Lex) and other stores in the area, have a wealth of Indian spices, and other ingredients.
Amanda — I’d just skip the lime next time if it didn’t do it for you. It’s not very much and in the end, the dish should suit your tastebuds, not the person’s who wrote it. If you still want a little acidity at the end, you could stir in a tablespoon or so of vinegar.
Andrea — Because the recipe didn’t specify (which bugged me too!) I just used plain old green ones. Not the French ones, just green. The split do get soft when you cook them (such as the red ones) but I think are still incredibly tasty.
S. from The Student Stomach — I’m sure regular potatoes would be just fine.
This looks colorful and delicious! I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the inspiration.
I just discovered your blog with my ’stumble’ button yesterday. The Orange peel candy was what greeted me. When I saw this, I HAD to make it. Its simmering on the stove now, and on a cold, dark day off boy does it smell comforting.
And to learn something completely random. My cat likes to eat dried lentils!
You’ve acquired a new reader. (With a rather odd cat) Thankyou for adding more variety to my dinners.
MK
This looks absolutely delicious! I think I shall try to make it over the weekend maybe. I’ll just probably cut the amount by half or even 4. Thanks!!!
I love the internet – I perused the NY Times and found this recipe and made it this week, and then while searching for good blogs I found your site. I always have to change a few things because my pantry is not very large. ( I live in Bermuda and just don’t keep much of a kitchen), so I didn’t use the gram masala or cilantro. And I just can’t use olive oil with curry, preferring a 50/50 butter / veggie oil instead. Also a little trick a friend shared when she cooks curry dishes, is to heat the spices in the pan for a minute then add the oil and cook on their own until very aromatic, then add your onions etc. It does intesify the spice flavour. So I did that. I wil certainly keep reading your site. It is very beautiful and your food is AMAZING. Keep on cookin’, kind regards Deborah Robertson ps I liked this but my husband didn’t seem too thrilled – probably won’t make again, but the house still smells wonderful!
Thanks, Deb. FYI – I found garam masala at Lassi on Greenwich Ave. today…
I wish I had a camera and I were as terrific at taking pictures as you Deb or my husband are…. then I could post a photo of this glorious food! We are going to have it tonight as a side dish with chicken schnitzels (which i could kill for anytime!!!!) And of course i will then add the chopped fresh cilantro and scallions on top – can’t wait!!!
I am also proud :) to report that I made the Garam Masala myself :), I have a little grinder and where I live we get all ingredients easily (recipe is from the internet).
I did not peel the sweet potatoes, I never do, as most vitamines are supposed to be in the peels. The only thing I did not have was vegetable broth as I never make any…. I hardly ever use it and it is not worth my while to keep a jar full for ages in the fridge. This time I added a tiny little bit of Knorr’s instant soup powder :( (what a sacrilege!!) though I hate the stuff and actually stopped using it altogether. Any better suggestions what to use next time – anybody? Could I freeze vegetable broth???
Made it last night. LOVED IT! Thought I’d actually try and follow exactly but, alas, my usual a bit of this and a bit of that kicked in. I substituted mixed baby greens for the swiss chard and lemon for lime and fiddled w/ add’l spices, topped w/ cashews. I served it over tri-colored veggie orzo and had a great main dish. Thanks for the inspiration how to use up left over uncooked sweet potatoes!
I made this over the weekend and it is sooooo delicious. I used spinach instead of char because my grocer didn’t have it. A hit with me and my husband, it will definitely become a part of my regular cooking rotation.
I made this last week and it was delicious. One of my best new recipes in a very looong time. It will become a staple in our house.
Just made this, had to create my own curry powder because I had a scant of some in a spice botttle. Had spinach instead of swiss chard and used key limes.
Love this recipe and will go back to it again and again. I’m becoming a true fan of your web blog and have continued to pass this along.
My husband and co- workers love you!
@Ouiser: Try Better Than Bouillon. It is a concentrated paste that comes in several vegetarian varieties, a small jam sized jar makes around 40 quarts of broth. It’s a great staple to keep on hand for broth needs!
I just finished up this recipe for our post present Christmas feast, it went over very well!
Hi, I’ve never posted before but I’ve been a reader for a while. I know this is an old post but I just made it today and it tasted great. I wasn’t even planning on it, but I went to the grocery store two days ago planning on getting some kale as greens, but it looked wilted and terrible so I bought swiss chard instead and picked up some sweet potatoes on a whim. Well I looked up my tagged recipes for an idea of what to do with the swiss chard and your recipe came up. So I just knew I had to make it and I definitely wasn’t disappointed, the only thing that I didn’t have was cilantro.
I made this last night, with French lentils, as that’s what I had on hand. I accidentally added about twice as much stock as needed – picked a bag out of my freezer and didn’t pay attention to the label. So it came out a bit soupier than yours but very delicious.
added some plain greek yogurt on top at the end for tang, instead of lime, and loved it. what a great sunday night dinner!
Nice recipe. Followed everything to the letter, except for the problem with the sweet potatoes. I bought the same type of sweet potatoes I normally buy to get the orange-fleshed sweet potato. I go to start peeling it, and lo and behold, it’s white skinned. Weird. Looked exactly like the orange-skinned potatoes, but were the much-less-tasty white skinned.
I think it probably took away from the tastiness of the dish, but overall it was still good. I threw in two carrots diced to add some color, as it has a very pallid look to the dish – mostly grey. I’d like to try it again with orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. And I’d like to figure out why the potatoes looked like the orange kind, but turned out to be the white kind.
Just made this last night – very very awesome! It was my first time cooking with lentils and all the flavors really came together. The lime and cilantro at the end are SUCH a nice touch. The crunch of the tamari almonds are a must too! Great recipe.
I made this dish for my husband and friends, but it is special because I chose it as the first food our 6.5 month old son could join us in eating! I had already introduced him to onions, garlic, sweet potato, and swiss chard (our CSA box is directing much of the foods I’m introducing him to). All that was left were the lentils – an excellent first food! I’ve read not to worry about spices and he’d had many of them anyhow, and I figured jalapeno would be fine. Anyway, I separated his portion out before I added salt and no lime or cilantro for him, and I substituted chicken broth (as he’s had chicken) for the vegetable broth. Cilantro prob would have been just fine, but I didn’t do the final touches for him. Anyway, THANK YOU for an excellent first meal that we could share with our son!
p.s. We’re having a Smitten Kitchen themed potluck on Sunday – really looking forward to it!
I just made this for my week time lunches…and it surely passes the taste test!!! I cannot wait to enjoy it will all the toppings :) I am also planning to make it as part of my family’s thanksgiving dinner. DELISH!!!
I made this last week and my apartment smelled like curry for the next few days -it was glorious!! I was so proud that I could finally make an Indian dish actually taste Indian! Thanks so much. I even brought the leftovers to my office so they could have a taste. Needless to say, everyone started checking out smittenkitchen. I must admit, I’m a walking advertisement for you.
What a delicious fall warming meal for the soul! Easy and filling, perfect on a rainy Seattle day when all you want to do is curl up under a blanket – my hubby and I loved this meal – thanks again :)
Made this, loved it! I do believe I’d beat you in the ugly photo pic though :)