Indian-Spiced Sweet Potato & Lentil Cakes
These addictive spiced cakes from The Beauty Chef Gut Guide can be prepared for dinner and are also great as a lunch box snack. Apart from being high in fibre, sweet potatoes and lentils are good sources of inflammation-fighting resistant starch and vitamin B5 (which helps maintain a healthy digestive tract).
The pervading spice in this recipe is cumin, which adds such a beautiful, flavoursome note to any recipe. Studies show that it may help relieve some of the uncomfortable symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome.
Ingredients
- 850 g (1 lb 14 oz/approx. 2 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 3 cm (11⁄4 in) chunks
- 60 ml (2 fl oz/1⁄4 cup) ghee or extra-virgin coconut oil, plus extra for roasting the potatoes
- 375 ml (121⁄2 fl oz/11⁄2 cups) water
- 110 g (4 oz/1⁄2 cup) dried red lentils, thoroughly rinsed
- 3 shallots, finely chopped
- 11⁄2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 red bird’s eye chilli, de-seeded, finely chopped
- 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 11⁄2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 11⁄2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 large handfuls coriander (cilantro) stems & leaves, coarsely chopped
- sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Cucumber raita:
- 1⁄2 Lebanese (short) cucumber, cut in half lengthways, seeds scooped & grated
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- sea salt, to taste
- 250 g (9 oz/1 cup) sheep’s or goat’s yoghurt or coconut yoghurt
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6).
- Arrange the sweet potatoes in a medium roasting tray and drizzle with some ghee. Roast for 30 minutes, or until tender.
- Meanwhile, put the water and lentils in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the lentils from sticking, until all of the water has been absorbed and the mixture resembles a thick porridge. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the ghee in a small frying pan. Cook the shallots, ginger, garlic and chilli until softened. Add the spices and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Transfer everything, including the roasted sweet potatoes, cooked lentils, 1 tablespoon of the arrowroot and lemon juice, to a medium bowl. Using a potato masher, mash and stir to combine, leaving some chunky bits of sweet potato. Add the coriander, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Using your hands, shape the mixture into 8 cakes, approximately 7 cm (23/4 in) in diameter.
- Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to firm up, then lightly dust with the remaining arrowroot to coat.
- Heat the remaining ghee in a large frying pan over a low–medium heat. Cook the cakes for 3–4 minutes on each side until golden brown and heated through. Set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel and cover to keep warm.
- To make the cucumber raita, combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Serve with the cakes.
