500g red lentils
1.25 litres water
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 knobs unsalted butter
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1-2 fresh green chillies, finely sliced
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
Place the lentils in a pan and cover with enough cold water to come to around 2 cm above their surface. Bring to the boil (skim off any scum that rises to the top), and reduce to a simmer. Stir in the turmeric and a generous knob of butter. Cover and leave to cook gently.
In a small frying pan, dry-fry the cumin seeds over a medium heat until toasted and fragrant (no more than a couple of minutes). Remove from the pan and set to one side.
Melt a second knob of butter in the same frying pan and gently fry the chopped garlic, onion, chillies and the grated ginger. Once the garlic is golden, mix in the toasted cumin seeds, the garam masala and ground coriander and cook for another minute.
Give the lentils a good stir, they should have the consistency of porridge – thicker than soup and looser than hummus. Add more water as necessary and when they are cooked mix in the aromatic fried mixture and add salt if it needs it.
