Brown lentil and spinach curry from the pantry shelf

Brown lentils hold their shape, need no soaking and usually cost little per portion when bought by the bag. This brown lentil and spinach curry comes almost entirely from the cupboard and freezer; the only fresh things are an onion, garlic and a lemon.

It suits a Monday after the weekend shop. The rest of the lentil bag can go into a flatbread filling later in the week, or a handful can thicken Friday's vegetable-drawer soup.

Ingredients for the lentil and spinach curry

• 200 g dried brown lentils, rinsed
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• A thumb of fresh ginger, grated, or 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp mild curry powder
• 1 tin (400 g) chopped tomatoes
• 1 tin (400 ml) light coconut milk, or 3 tbsp plain yoghurt stirred in at the end
• 500 ml water
• 200 g frozen or fresh spinach
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt
• Rice or flatbreads, to serve

Method

1. Warm the oil in a wide pan and soften the onion for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and stir for 1 minute.
2. Add the lentils, tomatoes and water. Bring to the boil, then simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until the lentils are tender, topping up with water if the pan looks dry.
3. Stir in the coconut milk and spinach and simmer for 5 minutes, until fresh spinach has wilted or frozen spinach is hot all the way through.
4. Season with salt and the lemon juice. If you are using yoghurt instead of coconut milk, take the pan off the heat before stirring it in.
5. Serve with rice or warm flatbreads.

Budget swaps

• Frozen spinach in blocks often works out cheaper per serving than fresh bags, and it can't wilt at the back of the fridge.
• Red lentils work too. They break down into a softer, dal-style curry and cook in about 20 minutes.
• Already have cumin, coriander and turmeric? Use 2 tsp, 1 tsp and ½ tsp in place of the curry powder and save buying another jar.
• Coconut milk is optional. Water or stock with a spoon of yoghurt at the end makes a lighter sauce.

Storage and leftovers

Keeps for 3 days in the fridge and freezes well for up to 3 months. It thickens overnight, so loosen it with a little water when you reheat it. A leftover portion blended with an extra mug of water or stock becomes a quick lentil soup for lunch. For another dinner from the pantry shelf, try the garlicky white bean and greens stew.