Enough for 4 people.
- A heaped cup of dhal lentils
- Water - a pint and a half
- Juice of one lemon
- Half a carton of coconut cream
- A handful of coriander chopped
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 2 round slices of ginger
- 2 large cloves of garlic, whole
- 1 clove of garlic sliced lengthways
- 1 dried whole red chilli, chopped
- 2 heaped tspns of cumin seeds
- a tspn of coriander powder
- a tspn of garam masala
- a tspn of turmeric
- plenty of salt
- Cover the lentils with cold water and bring to the boil. When boiling, add the turmeric, ginger and two of the cloves of garlic (whole).
- Simmer gently until the lentils are cooked, and the mixture is creamy and unctuous. This will take up to an hour. You may need to skim off some of the scum during the boiling. Add more water if the dhal is too thick, or simmer and reduce if too liquid.
- Toast half of the cumin seeds and grind with a mortar and pestle.
- Add to the dhal, along with the lemon juice, coconut cream, spring onions, coriander, garam masala. Season with salt Ð I find that the lentils require quite a lot
- In a frying pan, heat some sunflower oil or ghee and add the rest of the cumin seeds and the chilli, and the remaining clove of garlic. Fry for 30 seconds and then drizzle over the dhal and serve.