Chicken, sweet potato and coconut curry

I have a huge backlog of recipes to post. Just because I've been a little quiet of late doesn't mean that I haven't been busy in the kitchen! There is a delicious monkfish paella, a chocolate and pear pudding, a sublime maple cheesecake, a meaningful lasagne, a simple asparagus starter and a strawberry tart.

It has gone chilly again and last night I had a couple of friends round for supper and decided to make this easy curry. It is ideal for a quick but impressive meal post-work, when time is of the essence. On a day with a few more free hours, I'd prefer to make my own paste and grind my own spices, but here time was of the essence. This curry is full of good things but you could add all kinds of other vegetables. Some broccoli might be nice, or even some green beans.

This curry is loosely based on this one from BBC Good Food, but I've made a fair few changes. This is quite mild so next time I might use a hotter curry paste, or even add a little chopped chilli to give it a touch more fire!

Chicken, sweet potato and coconut curry with cashew rice
Serves 6

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts (or six smaller ones), cut into bite-sized chunks
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
2 onions, sliced
2-4 heaped tablespoons medium curry paste (according to taste)
8 tbsp split red lentils
600 ml chicken stock
2 400ml cans coconut milk (I used the low-fat kind which was fine)
2 large bags fresh spinach
1 can chickpeas
2 mugfuls of frozen peas
Large handful fresh coriander
2 handfuls cashew nuts
basmati rice

1. Heat sunflower or vegetable oil in a large pan or wok and then add the curry paste. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the onions and fry for a couple more minutes.

2. Add chicken, sweet potatoes and lentils to the pan and give a good stir to coat with the curry paste. Once everything is well coated and the chicken has started to brown, pour over the stock and coconut milk.

3. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 minutes, until the potato is soft (but still holding its shape) and the chicken is cooked through.

4. Whilst the curry is simmering, prepare the rice according to the packet instructions or your preferred method. In a dry pan, roast the cashew nuts. Take care not to burn them. When nicely toasted, turn them onto a chopping board and roughly chop.

5. When the curry is cooked, add the spinach and chickpeas and give everything a good stir. Cook for another minute or so, until the spinach has softened into the curry.

6. To serve, mix the cashew nuts and half the chopped coriander through the rice. Sprinkle the rest of the coriander on top of the curry and serve with the rice and possibly some naan breads.