Packed full of chilli, garlic and ginger, as well as all the goodness of the sweet potato, lentils and coconut, this is just the thing to ward off the winter lurgies. It also happens to be vegan, as a bonus. If you have pumpkin or butternut squash, both work equally well in place of the sweet potato.
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped with seeds
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- Small knob of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium/large sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 2 tsp hot curry powder
- 100g red lentils
- 900ml vegetable stock
- 1 x 400g tin coconut milk
- Salt and black pepper
- In a large pan, saute the chilli, garlic and ginger in the vegetable oil until fragrant, then add the sweet potato and saute a further few minutes. Add the red lentils and curry powder, then the hot stock and coconut milk. Bring it to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, by which point the sweet potato and lentils should be soft. Puree the soup either in a liquidiser or using a stick blender, then season to taste, and let it down with a little more veg stock if the consistency is too thick.
- Serve immediately with a drizzle of chilli oil on top.
