Gluten free, vegetarian, easily vegan if you want.

If you are going to be out all day, perhaps even outdoors most of the time, do yourself a favour and prepare this in the morning.

The flavours will develop when left to meld for a while, and it will feel like a real treat to come home and basically just have to reheat this:

I expect to have plenty left for tomorrow and for the freezer.

• 400 g urad dal (any type – I am using whole black here
• 1 large knob of ginger root, finely chopped, or better still, grated or shredded in a mini processor
• 1 teaspoon turmeric (I usually use a bit more – it does not yield a whole lot of flavour, but a beautiful colour, and it is supposedly good for the old joints, especially if used together with black pepper, hence:
• A hefty dose of freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp cayenne or Kashmiri red pepper, to taste
• 2 tblsp olive or coconut oil (or ghee, but then it is of course no longer vegan)
• 20 cloves garlic, very finely chopped, or better still, grated or shredded in a mini processor
• 2 tins tomatoes
• 2 to 4 tsp garam masala
• At this point 4 tblsp yoghurt (I always have goat yoghurt available, but that is probably just me)
• 2 tblsp fenugreek seeds (kasoori methi), crushed
• 2 tsp sugar (optional, but adds a bit more depth)
• 4 tblsp coconut oil (or vegan butter if you have that available)
• Salt to taste
• Chopped cilantro to garnish

Place the dal, ginger, red pepper and turmeric in a pot, cover with water by about five cm, and cook until the dal is very tender, about 45 minutes in this case, checking that the dal is always amply covered in water. If you want a creamy dal, blend half the cooked dal into a smooth puree, or use an immersion blender now or later till you have the texture you want.

Heat the oil or ghee. Add the garlic and stir for about a minute, then add the tomato puree, still stirring, for a minute or two. At this point, I will add some yoghurt for the texture (I always have goat yoghurt available, but perhaps that is just me ….) – but then of course this recipe is no longer vegan.

Add the tinned tomatoes, mash and stir and simmer until the puree darkens, about five minutes.

Add garam masala and the crushed fenugreek seeds. Mix and add this to the dal. Adjust with water or vegetable stock, and salt to taste, blend if you want to adjust the texture, and simmer over medium-low heat for ten minutes.

Before serving, stir in some coconut oil or vegan butter, and sprinkle with chopped coriander.