Red Lentil & Pumpkin Curry

Ingredients

• 300 g pumpkin
• 150 g red lentils
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground ginger (or grated fresh ginger)
• ½ tsp cumin
• 200 ml coconut milk

Method

1. Sauté the onion and garlic with the spices (turmeric, ginger, cumin).
2. Add the pumpkin, lentils, coconut milk and a little water.
3. Simmer for 20 min, until the lentils and pumpkin are soft.

TCM perspective: Pumpkin and lentils, both sweet-tasting, tonify the Spleen; turmeric and cumin warm gently and support digestion.

Tips & precautions: Coconut milk is nourishing but quite rich: use it in moderation if you tend towards Dampness (a feeling of heaviness, sticky stools, swelling) — you can replace part of it with stock.

These are general principles of Chinese dietetics and do not replace personalised medical advice.