Dahl

The lentils can take quite a long time to cook; this isn’t a quick meal, but you can make a big batch. You can also save some of the curry paste.

Ingredients

• Dried lentils (100g per person should be fine, I like to use a mix of red and green, but anything that says it’s suitable for dhal is fine)
• Fresh garlic (lots)
• Fresh ginger (lots)
• Fresh tomatoes
• Onions
• Gee (or butter)
• Garam masala

For the curry paste:

• Fresh coriander stalks (you could use seeds but this way you can save the leaves for a garnish)
• Cumin seeds
• Fennel seeds
• Fresh chilli
• Tomato paste
• Oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

Thoroughly wash the lentils in a sieve. It is really important to get all the starch and crud off.

Place the lentils in a large pot along with enough cold water to fully cover them with about 1-2cm of clearance. Add salt and maybe a spoon of gee

Bring to the boil, then simmer with the lid off, stirring occasionally. You are aiming for a really creamy consistency that is achieved as the lentils break down and absorb the water. If the water boils off too quickly replenish with boiling water. This can take quite a long time, but should be done in about 40mins at a rolling boil.

It is likely that scum will float to the top of the pot, this should be skimmed off.

While the lentils are boiling, make the curry paste. Dry fry the seeds then crush in a pestel and mortar. Chop and add the corriander stalks and chilli. Squeeze in the tomato paste and season (best to crush whole black peppercorns). Add a lug of oil. Set aside.

Fry onions in gee. Once golden add your curry paste, garlic, ginger and garam masala for a couple of minutes. Toss in chopped fresh tomatoes and fry until cooked. You’re going to put this into the lentils so it should probably be over-seasoned to the taste.

Once the lentils are creamy add the onion mix. Leave with the heat off and lid on for 5mins then serve, or longer and reheat to serve as needed.

Cheating

If you don’t want to make your own curry paste, then you could use store-bought, and bulk it out with whatever fresh spices you do have available.