Black dhal

• 200g dried black lentils (whole also called urad dhal or black gram)
• 100g dried kidney beans
• coconut oil or groundnut or ghee, for frying
• 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 cardamom pods, split
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• a thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped (or 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes)
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• a small bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked and roughly chopped

Instructions

1. 1

   cook for 20 minutes, until the beans and lentils are cooked through.

2. 2

   The black lentils can be bought from any Indian shop or large supermarket.

3. 3

   If you can, it helps to soak the lentils and beans overnight in water , but if you forget don't worry, they will just take a little longer to cook,

4. 4

   First soak your lentils and beans in a deep bowl of cold water overnight.

5. 5

   Next, heat a little oil in a large pan and gently fry the onions for 10-15 minutes, until sweet, soft and lightly browned.

6. 6

   Add the cumin seeds, cardamom pods, turmeric, chilli powder, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger and tomato purée and stir for a couple of minutes.

7. 7

   Drain the lentils and beans and add to the pan with the chopped tomatoes and 1 litre of cold water.

8. 8

   Bring to the boil, boil rapidly for 10 minutes

9. 9

   this is essential for kidney beans), then turn the heat down to a fairly gentle

10. 10

    simmer, put the lid on and cook for an hour, then add salt.

11. 11

    Continue to cook for an hour to an hour and a half, until the lentils and beans are cooked and the liquor is thick, dark and deeply flavoured.

12. 12

    Stir the dhal from time to time while it cooks, and top up with a little hot water from the kettle ifit looks too dry.

13. 13

    Once the lentils and beans are cooked through, mash about half of them to a paste, using a potato masher in the pan, then stir together to make the dhal super creamy.

14. 14

    Scoop the dhal into bowls and finish with a little yoghurt, if you like, and a good pile of chopped coriander.

15. 15

    Serve warm, with soft, fluffy naans or chapattis.