Authentic Dal

I've been cooking Dal for 20 years.

This version with red lentils tastes pretty authentic to me. It's based on a Madhur Jaffrey recipe.

Tips. Don't add salt until very late in the cooking. At times, like this - add the garlic late for extra garlicky kick.

1 and a quarter cups of red lentils

water

turmeric 1 tsp

2 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp finely chopped dried chillies

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 level tsp fenugreek powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp tamarind pureé

pinch of sugar

1 clove of garlic

1 tbs fresh coriander - chopped

salt

Cover the lentils (about half a centimetre covered) add the turmeric, stir and leave to stand for four hours if possible.

After this cook the lentils on a low heat for 30 mins (or if you can't leave them standing cook slowly for up to an hour).

Stir them at times to stop sticking; they should start to break down into a more soupy texture. Don't worry about it being too watery, this can be cooked down later.

Heat some groundnut oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds - followed by all the other dried spice.

Stir as it splutters and then after about 1 minute add the lentils and the tamarind and cook for about 20 mins. After this add the salt and the garlic - finely squashed and chopped. Depending on whether the taramind has sugar or not adjust the flavour if necessary with a touch of sugar. Cook for a further 10 mins or until it's of a fairly thick texture. Stir in the chopped coriander.