Spiced red lentils with chicken, spinach & coconut
Katie Bishop's recipe – a great one for increasing your plant intake – contains full fat natural live yogurt, a source of calcium which contributes to normal function of digestive enzymes. It tempers the heat of the vibrantly spiced lentils in this recipe, so they’ll even appeal to chilli-haters in the family.
- Serves4
- CourseMain meal
- Prepare10 mins
- Cook35 mins
- Total time45 mins
Ingredients
- 300g red split lentils
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- ½ x 25g pack coriander
- 2 tbsp mild curry powder
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds (optional)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 clove/s garlic, crushed
- 400ml can reduced fat coconut milk
- 750ml vegetable stock
- 200g leftover cooked chicken
- 120g pack spinach
- 5 tbsp No.1 Strained Natural Greek Yogurt
- 1 lemon, cut into 5 wedges
- 4 tsp mixed seeds, toasted (optional)
- Seeded sourdough bread and butter, to serve
Method
Rinse the lentils in a sieve until the water runs clear. Warm the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onion and a large pinch of salt and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Meanwhile, finely chop the coriander stalks and add to the pan.
Mix in the curry powder and mustard seeds (if using), cook for 1 minute, then stir in the tomato purée. Cook for 3 minutes more, until starting to caramelise on the base of the pan.
Add the lentils, mix well to coat in the spices, then add the garlic, coconut milk and stock and bring to just below a simmer. Cook gently for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender.
Tear the chicken into the pan, scatter over the spinach and cook until the chicken is piping hot throughout and the leaves are wilted. Add the juice of 1 lemon wedge, then remove from the heat and stir in 2 tbsp yogurt and seasoning, to taste.
Serve topped with more yogurt, the coriander leaves, a sprinkling of toasted mixed seeds and the remaining lemon wedges for squeezing over, with buttered bread for scooping and dunking alongside.
Cook’s tip
One of my favourite ways to use strained Greek yogurt is in a quick flatbread recipe. Use equal quantities of yogurt to self-raising flour. Season with a generous pinch of salt and knead into a smooth dough. Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes, then divide into equal pieces and press or roll into rounds or ovals. Brush with oil, then cook in a hot frying pan, or griddle or barbecue until risen and golden. These are perfect to serve with this recipe.
Nutritional
Typical values per serving (excluding bread and butter) when made using specific products in recipe
Energy | 1,829kJ/ 439kcals |
|---|---|
Fat | 18g |
Saturated Fat | 8.5g |
Carbohydrates | 23g |
Sugars | 7.5g |
Fibre | 27g |
Protein | 32g |
Salt | 0.7g |