I don’t know about you but I love a curry. If you’re looking for a quick, easy and flavourful meal, this lemony sweet potato and lentil curry won’t disappoint. Perfect for a weekend night, you’ll have it on your plate far quicker than a takeaway. You’ll also benefit from avoiding ingredients that aren’t great for fertility – think trans fats, refined salt and vegetable oil, which are often abundant in takeaway curries. This curry is a great inclusion in your fertility diet. Read on to find out why.
Orange foods and fertility
Sweet potatoes are a good source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that gives orange fruits and vegetables their golden hue.
Beta-carotene and the luteal phase
The corpus luteum is a structure that produces progesterone after ovulation. Corpus luteum is Latin for “yellow body”, so named because it contains the most beta-carotene in the body. Orange foods may therefore support fertility indirectly, by providing beta-carotene.
You can also find beta-carotene in apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, orange, red, & yellow peppers, squash and dark green leafy vegetables.
Lemony sweet potato and lentil curry ingredients
This sweet potato and lentil curry is hearty and warming, with added lemony zing. Packed with flavour and good nutrition, I’m certain it will become a firm favourite in your recipe repertoire! Here’s what you need to make it:
- Olive oil: For sautéing olive oil is my oil of choice. My favourite is Erbology extra virgin olive oil, it’s a good quality organic olive oil.
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic and ginger form the base of this curry.
- Curry spices: My favourite blend of cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and pepper.
- Veggies: Sweet potato and green lentils – the star ingredients!
- Vegetable stock: I use Freja vegetable broth for depth of flavour.
- Tomatoes: I used Picard frozen chopped tomato cubes in this recipe, you could use tinned tomatoes or passata rustica if you prefer.
- Baby leaf spinach: For a boost of green goodness.
- Lemon zest and juice: For burst of lemony flavour – use unwaxed lemons because you will be eating the zest.
- Fresh coriander: For flavour and herby goodness.
How to make lemony sweet potato and lentil curry
Make this lemony sweet potato and lentil curry in three easy steps:
- Sauté: Heat the oil in a large casserole over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until soft. Then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the spices, salt and pepper and cook for a further minute.
- Simmer: Next, add the sweet potato, lentils, stock and tomatoes, mix to combine and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes and lentils are soft and cooked through. If you find the curry is getting too thick, cover with a lid.
- Add the spinach and flavourings: Add the spinach, cover and leave to wilt on top of the curry for 2-3 minutes before stirring through with the lemon juice and zest, and coriander.
That’s it! Divide between serving bowls and add a lemon wedge to serve.
More curry recipes to try
I hope you enjoy this lemony sweet potato and lentil curry recipe. If you make it, let me know how it turned out. I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below, or post in The Fertility Kitchen Community.
Lemony Sweet Potato & Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 5 cm fresh root ginger peeled and finely grated
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- ½ cup dried green lentils thoroughly washed and drained
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 400 g chopped tomatoes I used Picard frozen chopped tomato cubes
- 2 large handfuls of baby leaf spinach
- ½ lemon, zest and juice choose unwaxed lemons
- 1 small bunch of fresh coriander roughly chopped
To serve
- ½ Lemon cut into wedge
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large casserole over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the spices, salt and pepper and cook for a further minute.
- Add the sweet potato, lentils, stock and tomatoes, mix to combine and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes and lentils are soft and cooked through. If you find the curry is getting too thick, cover with a lid.
- Add the spinach, cover and leave to wilt on top of the curry for 2-3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and zest, and coriander and stir to combine. Divide between serving bowls and add a lemon wedge to serve.
Love this dish! It was so easy to throw together and it didn’t take long to make at all after work! I didn’t have any spicy chili powder so I substituted red pepper flakes instead and it was great. Just enough heat and absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to make this again!
So glad you enjoy this recipe.
Another delicious and easy to make recipe ! I batched cooked a big portion for my lunches this week, and I enjoy it everyday! I added in some extra carrots and loved finishing it off with some lemon juice and coriander!
Love the sound of the tweaks you made and very glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks, Charlotte x
I made this the other night…..super tasty and so easy to make. I loved it. Pretty sure it will become one of my favourite meals!
That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks, Charlotte
I make this at least once every two weeks for the past year!