Chickpea & Sweet Potato Tagine

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• salt and black pepper
• 300 ml vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp honey
• 50 g dried apricots, halved
• couscous and fresh coriander, to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole or tagine pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 7 minutes until golden and softened. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
2. Add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric and cayenne. Stir for 1 minute — the spices should bloom and smell warm and toasty.
3. Add the sweet potato chunks and stir to coat in the spices. Cook for 3 minutes.
4. Tip in the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, red lentils, honey and dried apricots. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the sweet potato is tender and the sauce has thickened around it.
6. Stir in the chickpeas and cook for a further 5 minutes to warm through. Season generously with salt and black pepper — taste and adjust the honey if you want a touch more sweetness against the spice.
7. Serve over couscous, scatter with torn coriander and mint, and finish with a drizzle of tahini.