flipRoasted Kumara, Lentil, and Tahini Bowl
Roasted Kumara, Lentil, and Tahini Bowl
Why this dish? On his organic farm in New Zealand, Cameron grows his vegetables and cooks vegan daily. Kumara, the star of New Zealand gardens, and lentils embody exactly the type of meal he has championed since the mid-2010s: nourishing, earthy, with no animal products.
A complete, colorful bowl: sweet potato cubes roasted until caramelized, tender lentils, greens, all bound by a creamy tahini and lemon sauce. The everyday meal, energy-dense for someone working endless filming days.
Listen, I've spent my life filming the ocean and diving into it — so the day I understood the footprint of what I was putting on my plate, I changed, period. At home in New Zealand, I pull kumaras from my own soil, roast them until they caramelize on the edges, and toss lentils on top. It's not deprivation, it's fuel: you eat this at noon and power through eight hours of editing without a hitch. Leave the skin on the kumara, that's where the best is. The lemony tahini on top, and there you have it — a meal that costs the planet nothing.
- •Kumara (sweet potato) — a few tubers from the garden (sweet-earthy roasted base)
- •Lentils — a good handful per person (plant protein)
- •Tahini (sesame paste) — to taste (creamy sauce)
- •Lemon — one (acidity for sauce)
- •Young shoots / kale — a large handful (fresh greens)
- •Olive oil, garlic, salt, cumin — to taste (seasoning)
Roasted Kumara, Lentil, and Tahini Bowl
A complete, colorful bowl: sweet potato cubes roasted until caramelized, tender lentils, greens, all bound by a creamy tahini and lemon sauce. The everyday meal, energy-dense for someone working endless filming days.
Why this dish? On his organic farm in New Zealand, Cameron grows his vegetables and cooks vegan daily. Kumara, the star of New Zealand gardens, and lentils embody exactly the type of meal he has championed since the mid-2010s: nourishing, earthy, with no animal products.
Listen, I've spent my life filming the ocean and diving into it — so the day I understood the footprint of what I was putting on my plate, I changed, period. At home in New Zealand, I pull kumaras from my own soil, roast them until they caramelize on the edges, and toss lentils on top. It's not deprivation, it's fuel: you eat this at noon and power through eight hours of editing without a hitch. Leave the skin on the kumara, that's where the best is. The lemony tahini on top, and there you have it — a meal that costs the planet nothing.
Ingredients (period version)
- Kumara (sweet potato) — a few tubers from the garden (sweet-earthy roasted base)
- Lentils — a good handful per person (plant protein)
- Tahini (sesame paste) — to taste (creamy sauce)
- Lemon — one (acidity for sauce)
- Young shoots / kale — a large handful (fresh greens)
- Olive oil, garlic, salt, cumin — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Sweet potato — 500 g (roasted base)
- Green or red lentils — 150 g (dry) (plant protein)
- Tahini — 3 tbsp (sauce)
- Lemon — 1 (juice) (acidity)
- Water — 3-4 tbsp (thin the sauce)
- Kale or baby spinach — 100 g (greens)
- Olive oil — 2 tbsp (roasting)
- Garlic — 1 clove (sauce)
- Ground cumin — 1 tsp (spice)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut the sweet potato into cubes (skin on), toss with olive oil, cumin, and salt, spread on a baking sheet.
- Roast for 25-30 minutes until edges caramelize, turning halfway.
- Meanwhile, rinse the lentils and cook in simmering water (15-20 min for green, 10-12 min for red), then drain.
- Prepare the sauce: whisk tahini with lemon juice, crushed garlic, and water until smooth and pourable; season with salt.
- Briefly massage the kale with a few drops of oil (or sauté spinach for 1 minute in a pan).
- Assemble in a large bowl: lentils, roasted kumara, greens, and generously drizzle with tahini sauce.
How it was made : Kumara has been cultivated in New Zealand since the arrival of the Māori (who brought it from Polynesia). Traditionally, it was steam-cooked in an earth oven, the hāngī, heated by stones. The roasted oven version is the modern domestic adaptation.
The contemporary twist : Serve the bowl on a bed of sauce swirled in a spiral, like a whirlpool seen from above — a nod to the filmmaker who films the Earth from the air as well as the abyss.
Sources : Suzy Amis Cameron, OMD: The Simple, Plant-Based Program (2018)
James Cameron · Charactorium
