• 400g red lentils
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 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

1. 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.
2. Stir in 1 tbsp of turmeric and 20g knob of butter.
3. Cover and leave to cook gently, stirring occasionally for around 20 minutes.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Add in the fried vegetables and spices, stir and taste – adding salt to season if necessary.
9. Serve with chopped fresh coriander on top. Delicious with some rice and chapatis.

Originally featured on Parti Bwyd Beca.

Recipe by Beca Lyne-Pirkis.