A hearty, fragrant curry packed with wholesome lentils, warming spices, and seasonal vegetables. Perfect with rice or flatbreads, and even better the next day.

Ingredients

For the lentils

• 2 cups dried lentils (red split lentils are best, but whatever you favour or a blend works too)
• 1 large onion, finely diced (or 1/2 cup crispy fried onions)
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 large cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 8 tsp)
• 2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• ¼ tsp chilli powder (or paprika for a milder flavour)

For the temper (tarka)

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2–4 cloves garlic, chopped or sliced

For the vegetables

Your choice of veg is really down to your taste buds. Here are some ideas:

• Traditional vegetables would be aubergine, okra, and cauliflower
• Our favourites include butternut squash, pumpkin, broccoli and carrots
• Frozen veg works very well here too - peas, green beans, carrots
• Optional garnish: chopped fresh coriander

To prepare the lentils, place them in a sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold running water, stirring them with your hand until the water runs clear. You can cook them straight away, or for easier digestion soak them first: place the rinsed lentils in a pan or bowl, cover with water so it sits about 2 inches above the lentils, and stir in 1 tablespoon of natural yoghurt or apple cider vinegar. Leave to soak for 4–5 hours or overnight, then drain and rinse before cooking.

Method

1. Cook the lentils

• Place the prepared lentils in a large pot with enough water to cover generously.
• Bring to a boil over high heat. As the water heats, frothy scum will rise to the surface – skim this off with a spoon and discard.
• Once the scum has stopped forming, add some more water to bring the level 2 inches above the lentils.
• Stir in the onion, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon stick.
• Reduce heat and simmer until the lentils are tender (about 30 minutes). Check and stir every 5 minutes to avoid burning at the bottom. Continue to top up the water if they look dry or start to stick.
• Once they have cooked down to a thick soft consistency, add the garam masala, lemon juice, salt, and sugar.
• If you like a little heat, add a sprinkle of chilli powder, or use a tsp of paprika for a milder flavour.
• Turn off the heat, and allow to sit. If there is still a lot of liquid floating on top, you can leave the lid off and they will thicken.

2. Make the tarka

In Indian cooking, tarka (also called tadka or tempering) refers to the process of briefly frying spices, herbs, and aromatics in hot oil or ghee to release their essential oils and intensify their flavours before adding them to a dish.

• Heat a small frying pan with a tablespoon or two of oil (traditional Keralan style is a whole heap of oil, so just use what you consider to be "enough"!). Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds.
• Add ginger and garlic, frying until the garlic just starts to brown. This process should not take more than a minute or 2, otherwise your seeds will begin to burn.
• Pour the aromatic oil and spices over the lentils.
• In traditional style this tarka would be left to float on top. But personally we prefer to stir it through and get all that flavour deep into the lentils. The choice is yours!

If you are batch cooking, at this point, you could split the lentils up into portions and freeze them. It's best to do this before adding any vegetables, otherwise they have a tendency to disappear. If you want to batch cook this recipe, note that you can increase the lentil quantity without having to increase the spice quantity very much, so it is an economical way to cook lentils! The ratio we use is if you multiply the lentil quantity by 2, only multiply the spices by 1.25. It's not exact, so follow your nose and taste as you go.

3. Prepare the vegetables

Once you have selected your veggies, chop them into chunks. Cooking will depend on your choice - if you chose something like frozen or fresh green veggies, these can just go straight in without any extra cooking. But if you chose pumpkin or carrot, you will need to soften it a little first. You have 3 options for pre-cooking you veg, each will give you a slightly different flavour balance, so experiment...

• Just throw them in! They can go in towards the end of cooking the lentils, and just simmer for an extra 10 minutes or until soft.
• Fry them in a little oil until tender and golden before throwing them in (no extra simmering needed).
• Roast them in the oven at 200°C/180°C fan for 20–25 minutes until soft and slightly charred. Then - you guessed it - throw them into your lentils!

Finish & serve

• If using the garnish, sprinkle with chopped coriander just before serving.
• Serve with a tangy lime or mixed pickle. Can be eaten with rice, naan, or chapati, but also a great high-protein meal as it is.

Buy the Ingredients