I adapt Atul Kochar’s black lentil sauce recipe. He calls it a sauce but you can eat it as a curry. It’s worth making twice as much and freezing it. The herb pulao is good too.

Ingredients:

200g red or yellow lentils
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds OR mustard seeds for tempering
3 tbsp fresh ginger and garlic paste
1 whole green chilli, finely chopped without seeds
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp each ground coriander, ground turmeric, garam masala and fenugreek leaf powder
2 tbsp tomato paste
30g/1oz butter
2 tbsp single cream, optional
½ green chilli, chopped for garnish
chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tsp salt

Notes:.

1 small fresh, deseeded chilli provides enough heat. I always add turmeric to make it look appetising.

I have used the following variations:
– start with 1 medium chopped onion, fried until translucent
– add 2 tbsp pulverised Indian pickle for an extra kick. No more than this as it becomes overpowering.
– use smoked chipotle instead of dried or fresh, but a little goes a long way; 1/4 is ok for 400g dry lentils
– add acid (little by little, tasting as you go) such as tamarind or 1/2 of the juice from a lemon and possibly sugar/1.5 tsp finely chopped jaggery
– add a little butter instead of single cream
– add some jaggery shavings dissolved in water