Wednesday, 22 July 2015

Anna Jones' dhal with crispy sweet potato and quick coconut chutney

I used to the biggest carnivore in the world but that all changed when I travelled to India at the start of this year and was introduced to the most delicious vegetarian food. I ended up doing a complete u-turn and now only rarely eat meat. I'm sure the carnivorous me would never have dreamed that I would ever be advocating a vegetarian cookbook but now Anna Jones' A Modern Way to Eat is one of my favourites. As well as being packed full of delicious recipes, I love the beautiful pictures and design which make it a joy to flick through. The latest recipe I've tried is the dhal with crispy sweet potato and quick coconut chutney and it didn't disappoint. The dhal is lovely and warming with just the right amount of spice. Coconut milk gives a bit of creamy richness and the spinach and coriander add a nice bit of green. It would be delicious on it's own but the crispy sweet potato and coconut chutney really take it to the next level. Anna suggests serving this with chapattis or roti but I had it with rice (because that means I can have chocolate later to balance it out right?) and it worked well. Anna's new book A Modern Way to Cook is out now and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

Dhal with crispy sweet potato and quick coconut chutney

Serves 4


For the sweet potatoes
2 sweet potatoes, chopped into cubes
sea salt and pepper
1tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
olive oil

For the dhal
2 garlic cloves, chopped
small piece of ginger, chopped
1 green chilli
1 red onion, chopped
1tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp ground tumeric
1tsp ground cinnamon
200g red lentils
400ml tin of coconut milk
400ml vegtable stock
2 large handfuls of spinach
a bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
juice of 1 lemon

For the coconut chutney
50g unsweetened desiccated coconut
1tsp mustard seeds (Anna says black but I used normal ones and they worked fine)
10 curry leaves
coconut oil
20g piece of ginger, grated
1 red chilli


1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan oven). Pour 150ml of hot water over the desiccated coconut and set aside to soak.

2. Put the sweet potato on a baking tray with the cumin seeds and fennel seeds, season with the salt and pepper and cover with a drizzle of olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until crispy brown.

3. In a large saucepan, fry the garlic, chilli and red onion in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes.

4. Grind the cumin and coriander in a pestle and mortar (I don't have one so bashed them a bit with the end of a rolling pin and it turned out fine!) and add to the pan along with the other spices and cook for a few minutes. Add the lentils, coconut milk and stock and bring to the boil and then simmer for 25 minutes.

5. Drain the coconut. Fry the curry leaves and mustard seeds until they start to pop then pour the mixture over the coconut, season with salt and pepper, stir in the ginger and chilli and mix.

6. Stir the spinach,  most of the coriander  and lemon into the dhal. Pile into bowls, top with the crispy sweet potato, coconut chutney and and enjoy!

Have you tried any recipes from this book? I'd love to hear your favourites!


  1. I have wanted to get my hands on this book for so long- I've seen so many lovely recipes coming out of it and the style of the cooking really appeals to me. Time to hit up Amazon I think!

    1. Absolutely I can't recommend it enough :)