Red lentils cook quickly and are a great colour but you can substitute your favourite lentils in this recipe. I like French-style puy lentils that hold their shape. Add some coconut cream for extra richness. Store garam masala in an airtight container for two weeks.
Ingredients
3 tbsp coriander seeds
3 tbsp fennel seeds
3 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp white peppercorns
15 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick, broken up
5 cloves
4 dried bay leaves
½ tsp ground mace
300g red lentils, rinsed
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 litre water
100g butter
1 medium brown onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp chilli flakes
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
salt
1 cup coriander leaves, washed
Method
To make the garam masala, place coriander, fennel, cumin, peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves in a frypan and place over a medium heat. Gently dry fry for five minutes, moving spices around until they are fragrant and refreshed.
Place in a spice grinder with bay leaves and mace and grind to a fine powder. Sieve if necessary. Reserve.
To make the dhal, place lentils, turmeric and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook until lentils are just soft.
In a frypan, melt butter and fry onion, garlic and chilli flakes until soft and starting to colour. Add tomatoes to onion mix then stir the mix through the lentils. Season with salt.
Serve with fresh coriander and a sprinkle of garam masala on top.