The Teen loves Keema so time to try out a vegan version. I usually make it with beef mince, slow cooked in the oven, but this time I cooked it with green lentils on the hob. I used similar spicing to the meat version although the cooking time and style changed.

Neither of us are big fans of Quorn or other meat substitutes so this was a bit of an experiment. The verdict? The Teen proclaimed it to be ‘unreal!’ as she ate a hearty bowl with homemade flatbreads.

Ingredients
1 tsp, cumin seeds
1 tsp, coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick
½  tsp garam masala
1 tsp, turmeric
8 ounces, green lentils
2 pints, vegetable stock
1 large onion, chopped roughly
1 chilli, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 in ginger, grated
2 tbsp, sunflower oil
1lb potatoes, peeled and cut into large, bite size, chunks
Tin chopped tomatoes
1 heaped tbsp, tomato puree
Ground black pepper
1 cup, frozen peas
Water to add if the mix is too thick

Method
1. Roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and cinnamon in the sauce pan for 1-2 minutes making sure not to burn them
2. Grind the seeds together, add the other spices and cinnamon to the mix and leave aside until needed
3. Put the lentils in a saucepan, cover with 1 ½ pints of cold stock, bring gently to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes
4. Leave to cool
5. While the lentils are cooking, blitz the onions, chilli, garlic and ginger into a paste
6. Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the paste for 2-3 minutes
7. Add the spices, ground pepper and cook for another 2 minutes
8. Add the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, remaining stock and potatoes
9. Cover and cook for 30 minutes
10. Drain the lentils and add to the tomatoes and potato mix
11. Cook for another 20 minutes, adding the peas 5 minutes before the end