Sweetcorn and spinach dhal

Ingredients

• 2 195g tins sweetcorn and their liquid (see Note)
• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander 
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1½ tsp chilli flakes
• 160g red split lentils
• 2 cubes frozen spinach (see Note)
• 1½ tbsp cumin seeds
• 3 tsp dried curry leaves (optional)

Optional top-ups

• Soft-boiled egg
• Fresh chilli
• Coriander

Instructions

1. Empty 1 tin of sweetcorn and its liquid into a blender, add 550 ml water and blend until smooth.
2. Heat 1½ tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and sauté the onion for 3 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
3. Add the ground spices and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the lentils, frozen spinach, the blitzed sweetcorn stock and the remaining tin of sweetcorn and its liquid. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Add a dash of water if the dhal becomes too thick. Season generously with salt and pepper.
4. Just before the dhal finishes cooking, heat the remaining olive oil in a small frying pan and add the cumin seeds and curry leaves (if using). Fry over a low–medium heat for about 1 minute, or until the seeds start to pop. Pour over the dhal, stir to combine and serve.

Note

Feel free to use frozen sweetcorn instead of tinned if that’s what you have on hand – you may just need to add a little extra water. You can also swap fresh spinach for frozen (add at the end to wilt through).

Extracted from The Food for Life Cookbook by Tim Spector (Jonathan Cape, $59.99). Photography by Issy Croker.