Recipes for Change: Lentil and sorghum curry with flatbread (liphaphatha)

This dish is Chef Ska Moteane’s take on a traditional Lesotho recipe. It combines sorghum, a drought-tolerant crop grown in Lesotho, with lentils, a legume that takes well to the country’s cold highland villages, and adds a burst of nutrient-packed vegetables and fragrant curry spices.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

130 g sorghum grains

45 ml cooking oil

1 large onion, finely diced

45 g mild curry powder

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large green pepper, diced

15 g turmeric

3 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely diced

260 g lentils

Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Cook the sorghum grains in water and simmer for 1 ½ hours, or until the grains are tender.
2. Once the sorghum is cooked, remove from heat and put aside.
3. In a medium to large pot, heat the cooking oil.
4. Add the onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes.
5. Add the curry powder and sauté for 1 minute.
6. Add the garlic and green pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes.
7. Add the turmeric, tomatoes, cooked sorghum and lentils, along with enough water to completely cover the lentils.
8. Add the salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
9. Cook for 40 minutes on low heat, or until the lentils are soft.
10. Serve with flatbread, rice or any starch of your choice.