Chana Dhal with spicy roasted vegetables recipe

This delicious dinner is low fat, veggie-friendly and has two of your five-a-day veg portions. What are you waiting for? Get cooking…

Ingredients (serves 4)

350g Love Life Yellow Split Peas
1tbsp vegetable oil
2 red onions, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
28g pack fresh coriander, leaves and stalks chopped separately
1 red chilli, halved lengthways
2 bay leaves
2tbsp garam masala
2tsp ground cumin
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 litre vegetable stock
Juice of 2 limes

For the roasted vegetables
2tbsp vegetable oil
1 whole cauliflower, florets only
4 carrots, peeled, halved lengthways and sliced into 2cm diagonals
2tsp cumin seeds
¾tsp ground turmeric
1tsp paprika
2tsp garam masala
1tsp black mustard seeds
115g pack baby spinach

Method

Soak the split peas in cold water for an hour, then drain.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion for five minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, coriander stalks, chilli and bay leaves and cook for a further minute. Sprinkle in the garam masala and cumin and fry, stirring almost continuously, for 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes, drained split peas and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for an hour and 30 minutes until the peas are very tender. Stir in the lime juice and scatter with coriander leaves.

Meanwhile, to make the roasted vegetables, preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Pour the oil into a large, shallow baking tray and place in the oven for five minutes to warm up. Add the cauliflower and carrots, toss to coat in the oil and roast for 10 minutes.

Mix together the cumin seeds, turmeric, paprika, garam masala and black mustard seeds. Sprinkle over the vegetables, turning to coat, then return to the oven for 10–15 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Stir the spinach through until wilted then serve alongside the dhal. Delicious with warm naan bread and steamed basmati rice.

Top tip!
You can prepare the dhal in advance then gently reheat and finish with lime juice and coriander leaves to serve.

Recipe courtesy of Waitrose