Broccoli and lentil salad with curried tahini and dates recipe

Tahini sauces are wonderful for adding creaminess to dishes without the need for dairy, said Yasmin Khan. Here, broccoli florets and radishes are first roasted and then dressed with a curry-spiced tahini dressing and served on a bed of lentils. Giving exact measurements for tahini dressings can be tricky as each brand varies so much in thickness (and on how long you've had the jar open), so use the quantity below as a guide and add a touch more water or lemon to loosen, or extra tahini to thicken.

Ingredients (serves four to six as part of a mezze)

For the roasted vegetables:

• 700g broccoli (about 2 crowns)
• 140g radishes (about 16 small red round ones)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• salt

For the lentils:

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• 240g Puy lentils
• 600ml just-boiled water
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the curried tahini sauce:

• 120g tahini
• 75ml lemon juice
• 60ml water
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp medium curry powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the toppings:

• 6 Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1 small handful chopped parsley or coriander leaves (optional)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C.
• Break up the broccoli florets and slice off the stalks as they naturally separate. Cut the stalks into thick pieces about the same size as the florets. Put the broccoli and radishes on a large baking sheet and toss with the vegetable oil and half a teaspoon of salt. Roast for about 20 minutes, until cooked but still firm. The broccoli will be slightly charred and that's OK. Set aside to cool.
• While the vegetables are in the oven, combine the lentils and just-boiled water in a small saucepan, cover, and cook over a medium heat for 25-30mins, until the lentils are soft but still have some shape. Drain and return to the saucepan, then dress with the olive oil, the lemon juice, half a teaspoon of salt, and a quarter of a teaspoon of pepper.
• To make the curried tahini sauce, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, water, garlic, maple syrup, curry powder, half a teaspoon of salt, and a quarter of a teaspoon of black pepper in a small bowl. The sauce will thicken as it sits, so if you are making it ahead of time, you might need to add more water.
• To serve, spread the lentils in a shallow servingdish, spoon over two-thirds of the tahini sauce, pile the roasted broccoli and radishes on top, drizzle over the remaining tahini sauce, and scatter the dates and herbs (if using) on top.

Taken from "Sabzi" by Yasmin Khan.

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