BRY'S DAHL!

So, obviously there are a great many dahl recipes out there, but this one is mine. It's all in the spices really, but I reckon using coconut milk is nicer than just water. I usually go by feel when making this, so the quantities are fairly open to give or take. Approx teaspoon measurements are NOT heaped.

Makes about 2 servings; best with some brown rice.

SPICE MIX (from "use lots" to "use a tiny bit")

• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (freshly ground or just as is)
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander
• dash cayenne pepper
• dash chili flakes

+ 2 tbsp tamarind paste

and liberal salt/pepper

• 2 small onions (or 1 normal) (finely diced)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 small knob ginger (grated)
• juice of a lime/half a lemon
• 1 can lentils (400g)
• 1/3 cup red lentils (dried)
• 1 can coconut milk (400ml; organic tastes better!)
• 1/2 can crushed tomatoes (200g)

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METHOD

1. Fry up the onions/garlic/ginger in some olive oil in a saucepan. I like to sauté them up for quite a while until they're really golden and even a little brown and starting to crisp up.

2. Add the spices all at once (except tamarind paste). Stir these around for a few minutes to activate the flavours.

3. Deglaze the pan with the lime/lemon juice, then add the coconut milk and tamarind paste.

4. Add both the types of lentils now, and let the mix simmer for a good 10-15 minutes while stirring occasionally. Now, people like their dahl at different consistencies; I like mine thickened up, but if you don't, you can just add a bit of stock to keep the moisture level up if you see it getting too low. Or simply just cover the pan with a lid while it simmers.

5. Add the crushed tomatoes at the end (as little or as much as you desire), and give it another 5 minutes just to make sure the red lentils have absorbed enough moisture.

6. Hopefully you've made some rice to go with it; your dahl is now done! DAHLICIOUS.