When you have a big family, it turns out that there aren’t actually that many dishes that everyone will eat and actually love. By love, I mean lip-smacking eating sounds, oohs and aahs and ‘You’ll have to make this again’ before they’ve even finished the bowl! 😀

I decided to try this dish after my new KitchenCraft chapati set (board and rolling pin) arrived via the popular (in this house) Amazon delivery van! I’m sure the driver must wonder just what we order that he’s here every few days!
He doesn’t know that we have a cookbook and kitchenware addict (me!) or a newly qualified teacher (my daughter) who is growing her collection of childrens’ books.

I started coveting the chapati set after seeing it on my good friend Jo’s blog . Ooh was I envious! 😉 it was so darn pretty.
Want, want, WANT!

Enter Amazon. Order. Delivery.
Must use.

Quick Tarka Dhal
Based on a recipe in Anjum Anand’s ‘Quick and Easy Indian’
Serves 4.

200g red lentils
1tsp turmeric
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Ready-made crispy fried onions (about 1 cup)
Handful of chopped coriander
1tbsp vegetable oil
2tbsp ghee
2tsp ground cumin
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, grated
2 small tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2-1 tsp ground chilli powder
Salt to taste.

1. Cover the lentils with hot water, bring to a boil, remove any scum and add the turmeric.

2. Leave to simmer while you get on with the tarka (frying the spices)

3. Heat oil and ghee in a frying pan, add the onion and cook until soft and beginning to colour.

4. Add the garlic, tomatoes, ground spices and salt to taste. Cook until the tomatoes soften and the whole thing becomes a reddish paste.

5. Add the paste to the cooked lentils, cook for a further 5 minutes until it becomes homogenous and thick (it will continue to thicken as it cools)

6. Add the lemon juice and check the seasoning, adding more salt to taste.

7. Serve in bowls, topped with the crispy onions and fresh coriander.
Serve with spelt flatbreads.

Spelt Flatbreads
Makes about 8 flatbreads (saucer sized)

3 cups wholegrain spelt flour
Water to bind
Salt.

1. Simply put the flour and salt into a bowl, slowly adding enough water to make a smooth, but not sticky dough.

2. Roll into saucer sized circles (sprinkling board liberally with flour so that the flatbreads don’t stick to it)

3. Place the flatbread into a very hot, large flat bottomed frying pan.
Cook until brown spots appear underneath (a minute or so)
Turn over and repeat.

4. Serve the flatbreads with the dahl.