30g unsalted butter (if you're a vegan or lactose intolerant, it's to swap this for a non-dairy alternative)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 small onion, finely chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1-2 fresh green chillies, finely sliced (remove seeds if you want to keep the heat down)
1 ½ tsp garam masala
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
3 tomatoes, chopped
a small bunch of fresh coriander to serve
Method
Place 400g of red lentils in a pan and cover with enough cold water to come to around two inches above them and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
Stir in 1 tbsp of turmeric and 20g knob of butter.
Cover and leave to cook gently, stirring occasionally for around 20 minutes.
In a small frying pan, dry-fry 1 tbsp of cumin seeds and 1 tbsp of black mustard seeds over a medium heat until toasted and aromatic. Remove from the pan and set to one side.
Melt the remaining butter in another frying pan and gently fry 3-4 garlic cloves, 1 small onion, 1-2 fresh green chillies and a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger and 3 tomatoes.
When the vegetables are soft, add in the toasted seeds along with 1 ½ tsp of garam masala and 1 ½ tsp of ground coriander. Remove from the heat.
Once the lentils have had their 20 minutes, give them a good stir – you're looking for a relatively thick consistency, you can add in more water to slacken the mixture if you want.
Add in the fried vegetables and spices, stir and taste – adding salt to season if necessary.
Serve with chopped fresh coriander on top. Delicious with some rice and chapatis.