Curried Dhal Pies

For babies: Use a shortcrust pastry base, spoon in the dhal and sweet potato and top with a puff pastry lid, then bake until golden. These are great for the freezer!

For adults: Add the dhal to a bowl, top with sweet potato, drizzle over natural yogurt, fresh herbs and a sprinkle of crushed seeds.

Ingredients

• 4 mini-sweet potatoes
• Drizzle olive oil
• 2-3 small onions diced
• 3 cloves garlic finely sliced
• Thumb-size ginger finely chopped
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 500ml (2 cups) water
• 1 low-salt stock cube
• 1.5 cups red lentils
• 1 tin light coconut milk
• Pre-rolled Shortcrust and Puff Pastry

For the Syrup

• Drizzle natural yogurt
• Finely chopped herbs (coriander and parsley)
• Sprinkle of crushed seeds
• Pepper to season

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF.
2. Add the sweet potatoes to a baking tray, drizzle over a little olive oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until they are soft enough to squash between your finger and thumb.
3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan, add the onions and cook until they start to caramelise, then the garlic and ginger and stir for about one minute. Add the spices and stir until fragrant, then pour in the water and crumble in the stock cube, stirring until it dissolves, then reduce the heat to low.
4. Rinse the lentils in a sieve until the water runs clear then add to the pot, stir and cover with a lid and cook for around 10 minutes until it starts to thicken. Pour in the coconut milk, stir well and cover again for an additional 10-15 minutes. It should be thick and the lentils should be soft.
5. To make the pies: Cut the shortcrust into circles and add to a muffin tin. Add the soft sweet potato, add the lentil mixture, then top with a puff pastry cover. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
6. To serve the bowls: Add the dhal to a bowl, add the sweet potato, drizzle over the yogurt, then top with a sprinkle of herbs and crushed seeds.