Red lentil and spinach dal with roasted aubergine
Packed full of tasty vegetables, this delicious, healthy dinner will conveniently help with your five-a-day, and takes only 45 minutes to make!
Shopping list for 2 people:
150g Basmati rice
70g korma curry paste
1 carton tomato passata
100g red split lentils
10g vegetable stock paste
40g baby spinach
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
1 aubergine
40g curry powder
Balanced for you
Need more protein? Serve with cooked chicken or replace rice with quinoa – a higher protein grain.
Need more veg? Swap rice for cauliflower rice.
Method
Don’t forget: Wash your veggies before use
Cooking utensils you will need: Cutting board, knife, garlic press, baking tray, saucepans
1. Prep your vegetables
Preheat your oven to 200°C. Halve, peel and chop the shallot into small pieces. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Trim the aubergine and halve lengthways. Chop each half into four long strips then chop widthways into roughly 3cm pieces.
2. Roast the aubergine
Pop the aubergine pieces onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with oil and season with salt, pepper and North Indian style curry powder. Toss to coat, then arrange in a single layer. Roast the aubergine until golden brown and soft, 20-25 mins, turning halfway through. Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of oil in a medium saucepan on a medium heat. When hot, add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently until tender, 3-4 mins.
3. Cook the rice
Pour 300ml of water into another saucepan and bring to the boil. When boiling, add 1/4 tsp of salt, stir in the rice, lower the heat to medium and pop a lid on the pan. Leave to cook for 10 mins, then remove the pan from the heat (still covered) and leave to the side for another 10 mins or until ready to serve (the rice will continue to cook in its own steam).
4. Finish the dal
Add the korma paste and garlic to the shallot and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute. Add the passata, lentils, 350ml of water and vegetable stock paste. Stir well and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium and cook until the lentils are soft, 20-25 mins. TIP: Stir regularly to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and add a splash of water if it starts to get too thick.
5. Add the spinach
Once the lentils are cooked, add the spinach a handful at a time, stirring until wilted and piping hot, 2-3 mins. Stir through the roasted aubergine and cook until everything is piping hot. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
6. Serve
Once everything is ready, divide the rice between your plates. Top with the aubergine dal and tuck in. Enjoy!
Nutritional information per serving:
Energy (kJ) 2415kJ.
Energy (kcal) 577kcal.
Fat 7g - of which saturates 4g.
Carbohydrate 104g - of which sugars 13g.
Protein 23g.
Salt 2.93g
