Recipe – Jennifer Young’s Chana Dhal

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Ingredients

• 1.2 litres/2 pints water
• 250g/9oz chana dal, rinsed
• ½ tsp ground turmeric 
• 1 heaped tsp ground coriander 
• 1 tsp garam masala
• salt, to taste
• 2-3 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp oil or unsalted butter
• 5 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 5 cloves
• 1 small cinnamon stick 
• ½ tsp brown mustard seeds
• 1-2 dried red chillies
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 3 heaped tbsp flaked or desiccated coconut or ¼ small fresh coconut, flesh chopped into small cubes
• 2 onions
• Chopped fresh coriander
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved

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Method

1. Heat the water, lentils and turmeric in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for about an hour, the lentils should be soft.
2. Stir in the dried coriander, garam masala, salt and sugar, to taste. Cook until the lentils begin to break up.
3. Heat the oil or butter in a small pan. Fry the cardamom pods, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, mustard seeds, chillies and bay leaves for 30 seconds. (Add the coconut and stir until it turns golden-brown. 
4. Stir the spice mix into the lentils and warm gently, add the cherry tomatoes
5. Use the oil in the small pan to fry the sliced onions until brown
6. Add the onions to the chana mix
7. Add boiled water if your chana is too dry
8. Add chopped coriander, reserving some for garnish
9. Serve with boiled rice, adding the remaining chopped coriander

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