Pea and spinach-y dahl

This is a great side to make when you’re using the oven for other things. Simply throw in all the ingredients and press play. SERVES 6 PREPARATION TIME 5 minutes COOKING TIME 10 hours on low, 5 hours on high 400g dried yellow split peas 50g butter or ghee 2 onions, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 3cm knob ginger, grated 1 long red or green chilli, finely chopped 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon mustard powder 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon garam masala ½ x 400g can chopped tomatoes 750ml good quality store-bought vegetable stock 500ml water ½ teaspoon granulated stevia (optional) 100g baby spinach, Swiss chard or kale, deveined and roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves, to serve IN THE MORNING 1 Rinse the peas under cold water until the water runs clear and drain well. 2 In a large frying pan, melt the butter or ghee. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli. Cook until the onion is translucent. 3 Add the remaining spices and cook until the mixture is fragrant. Combine the mixture in the slow-cooker insert with the tinned tomato, stock, water, stevia and split peas. 4 Cover and cook for 10 hours on low or 5 hours on high. IN THE EVENING 1 Stir the chopped greens through the warm dahl mixture until wilted. Serve with a scattering of coriander on top. FOR A CONVENTIONAL OVEN To make the recipe without a slow cooker, see my slow know-how and conversion guide on page 42.