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Lentil, tomato and coconut dhal

Learn how to make a dhal (a lentil-based curry) and you are opening up a whole world of nutritious, delicious, cheap meals. It is quick to make, so you can whip this up from scratch after work even if you’ve not had time to batch-cook in advance. All the warming spices make this ‘spiced’ (think fragrant and aromatic) not ‘spicy’ (think chilli heat). Add extra chilli flakes if you like it hot.

I’ve used whole tinned plum tomatoes in this one, to add a nice contrast in texture. You can use a ready-made garam masala spice blend or make your own. Either way, make sure your spices are fresh and not from an open packet, shoved in the back of your cupboard, six years out-of-date. Mentioning no names.

Makes 6 portions (approx. 460g each)

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4 tbsp oil (vegetable, sunflower, olive or coconut) or ghee

2 medium onions, peeled and finely diced

5cm piece of root ginger (approx. 30g), peeled and grated or finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and grated or finely chopped

3 tsp vegetable bouillon powder

2 tbsp garam masala (make your own, see here, or buy)

1–2 tsp chilli flakes, to taste

2 tbsp black mustard seeds

500g red lentils, rinsed

2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes

1 x 400g tin coconut milk

flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garam masala

2 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

½ tsp black peppercorns

4 cardamom pods

2 star anise

2 bay leaves

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat, add the onion, ginger, garlic and a big pinch of flaked sea salt and cook for 10 minutes until softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, if you’re making your own garam masala, toast the ingredients in a dry pan over a low heat for 1–2 minutes until smelling fantastic, keeping the spices moving. Tip into a pestle and mortar or spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.

Dissolve the bouillon powder in 1 litre of boiling water for the stock. Add the garam masala, chilli flakes and mustard seeds to the onion mixture in the saucepan, stir thoroughly, then add the lentils. Give everything a good mix. Add the tomatoes and the stock and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 20–25 minutes until the lentils are tender and retain no bite, stirring frequently and deeply so the lentils don’t stick and crushing the tomatoes a bit as you go. Add the coconut milk, remove from the heat and season to taste with flaked sea salt and pepper.

To freeze

Divide the dhal evenly between 6 sealable containers or freezer bags and leave to cool completely at room temperature. Label each portion with the recipe name and date made, then place in the freezer and use within 3 months. Defrost in the fridge (it will take approximately 8 hours to defrost), then gently reheat in a saucepan over a medium-low heat until piping hot.

To chill

The dhal will be fine for 3 days in the fridge. Keep it covered and when you are ready to reheat, gently simmer in a saucepan over a medium-low heat until piping hot. Adding a squeeze of lemon before you plate it up is a nice idea too.