'This recipe makes more dhal than you need to serve with the sweet potatoes, but it keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days, and makes a delicious lunch or supper on its own.'

INGREDIENTS

• Serves 4
• 4 medium sweet potatoes (kumera), scrubbed, patted dry with paper towel 
• 2 tbs ghee or coconut or olive oil, plus extra to coat 
• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 1 tbs grated ginger

• 1/2 bunch coriander, washed, leaves picked, stem and roots finely chopped

• 1 tbs grated fresh turmeric or 1/2 tbs ground turmeric

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tbs good-quality mild Indian curry powder

• 12 curry leaves
• 2 carrots, diced

• 400g red lentils, rinsed and drained

• 2 tomatoes, cored, seeds removed, sliced into thin wedges
• 
2 cups baby spinach leaves 
• Thick Greek-style yoghurt, to serve

• Fried curry leaves, to serve (optional)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 
2. Coat the sweet potatoes with a little oil. Place on a baking tray and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. 
3. Meanwhile, to make the dhal, heat the ghee or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring from time to time, for 2–3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, ginger and coriander roots and stalks and cook, stirring, for a further minute until fragrant. Add the turmeric, cumin, curry powder and curry leaves and continue cooking for 1 minute. Add the carrot, lentils and 4 cups (1 litre) cold water. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 15–20 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent catching, until the lentils are tender. Add the tomatoes and spinach and cook for a further 5 minutes until the spinach has wilted. 
4. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven. Using a sharp knife, make a slit lengthways down each and press the sides to make a cavity to hold the filling (use a clean tea towel to protect your hands as the sweet potatoes will be hot). 
5. To serve, spoon some dhal into each sweet potato, dollop with yoghurt, scatter with coriander leaves and fried curry leaves, if using.

Recipe reproduced courtesy of ABC Books, from Valli Little’s My Kind of Food, published April 2017. Photography by Alan Benson and styling by David Morgan.