Serves 4 people

1 medium onion
1tablespoon of virgin coconut oil
200 grms chickpeas soaked overnight
2 large sweet potatoes
100grms chestnut mushrooms
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 or 2 finely chopped green chillies
1 teaspoon of crushed cumin seeds
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
25 grms tomato puree
Half a teaspoon of Lo – salt
Half a teaspoon of crushed black peppercorns
Half a pint of unsweetened coconut milk (optional)

Method

Sweat the onion, garlic, cumin seeds and grated ginger in the coconut oil slowly on a low heat for 5 – 10 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the chickpeas (which will need cooking for about an hour in some water before using), diced sweet potatoes and sliced mushrooms and cook gently for a further 10 minutes.

Add the chillies, tomato puree and half a pint of hot water to make some stock. Alternatively you could use coconut milk instead of the water to make the stock. Season to taste and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Serve with some short grain brown rice for a quick but very tasty meal. Adding half a teaspoon of turmeric to the rice whilst it is cooking will give it a vibrant yellow colour making an attractive addition to your meal.

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and beta-carotene. For the most nutritional value choose ones that have a deep orange colour.

I recommend using virgin coconut oil as other coconut oils are processed. This means that they are hydrogenated turning them into trans fats which are the worst sort of fats for your health and should be avoided.

Although virgin coconut oil is a saturated fat it is thought to act differently than saturated fats from animals. It is thought to have many health benefits one of which being that it raises your metabolic rate helping you to burn fat more effectively.