Instructions

1. Finely chop the onion, dice the sweet potatoes and carrots. Deseed and chop the chilli.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently cook the onion and chilli until soft. Add the carrots and sweet potato, stir and cook for five minutes under cover.
3. Add the pastes and stir to coat the veggies, then pour over the tinned tomatoes and the stock. Bring to the boil, then add the lentils and bay leaf.
4. Bring to the boil again, then simmer gently over low heat for 25 minutes. The lentils should have become mushy by now, but if you want the soup more creamy, then using a stick blender, process the soup for a few seconds until you get the desired consistency (but do remove the bay leaf first).
5. Serve the soup with chopped coriander, a squeeze of lemon juice and freshly ground pepper.