Sweet-potato madras

MADRAS

Serves 6 You will need:

6 medium-sized sweet potatoes 7 tablespoons coconut oil 3 white onions, peeled 6 cloves garlic, peeled 3 fingers of fresh ginger, peeled 25g Madras curry spice blend 1 x 400g tin coconut milk 1 x 400g tin tomatoes 8 Medjool dates, chopped Juice and zest of ½ lime Natural yoghurt, to serve Handful of walnuts, smashed Fresh coriander, to serve 1 Fire up your oven to 200°C, 380°F, Gas 6. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Tumble them onto a large roasting tray (or 2 smaller trays), drizzle them with about four tablespoons of the coconut oil, and roast them for 30 minutes or until they are deliciously caramelised around the edges. 3 In the meantime, make the Madras sauce. To save on chopping, I use a food processor to pulse together the peeled onions, the garlic cloves and the peeled fresh ginger. Tip this blitzed medley into a large, deep pan, along with the remainder of the coconut oil (about three tablespoons). Gently sweat the vegetables for 12 minutes over a low flame until they are softened. 4 Add your Madras curry spice blend, whack up the heat, and stir continuously for 60 seconds. 5 Now tip in the tinned coconut milk, the tinned tomatoes, the chopped medjools, the lime juice and the lime zest. Reduce to a bubbling simmer and allow to putter away for 20 minutes, with the lid half on, while your tray of sweet potatoes continues to roast in the oven. 6 As soon as the sweet potatoes are done, scrape them into your pot of Madras. Serve immediately with cooling clouds of natural yoghurt, a handful of smashed walnuts, and some fragrant fresh coriander leaves, if you have some.