These are really good and the trick is to set them in the baking tray in rows with the skin-side down. You can use Cajun seasoning if you have it and if not make up the seasoning below – you’ll have more than you need for more wedges another time.
Crispy potato wedges – serves 4
FOR THE SEASONING:
1½ tbsp salt
½ tbsp dried oregano
½ tbsp paprika
½ tbsp cayenne pepper
½ tbsp freshly ground black pepper
675g large potatoes (buy a variety that makes good chips)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tsp of the seasoning above
Preheat the oven to 200C fan.
Scrub the potatoes and cut in half, then cut each half into 6 wedges. Put the wedges into a pan of boiling salty water and cook for 2-3 minutes, then drain.
Put the olive oil into a large roasting tin with the seasoning. Add the wedges and toss to coat, then arrange in rows sitting upright on their skins. Bake for 35-40 minute, until soft and golden.
We usually only cook with chestnuts around Christmas but we’ve been trying to use up an extra pack, and they are delicious in this soup recipe by Gill Meller.
Parsnip, roast garlic and chestnut soup – serves 4
6 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 bulb of garlic, halved around the middle
150g cooked chestnuts
10-12 sage leaves
1 onion, sliced
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 litre vegetable stock
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Spread the parsnips over a roasting tin. Add the garlic bulb, chestnuts, sage, onion and olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper and toss together. Cover the tin tightly with foil and bake for about an hour, shaking the tin now and then, until the parsnips are soft and caramelised.
Remove the foil and pour in the stock, then return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Ladle everything except the garlic bulb halves into a blender (or a pot if you’re using a hand blender). Squeeze the roasted garlic flesh out of the skins and add to the rest. Whizz the soup until smooth.
Pour the soup into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over a low heat, then cook for 10 minutes. Season to taste, then serve.
(Original recipe from Root Stem Leaf Flower by Gill Meller, Hardie Grant: Quadrille, 2020.)
This vegan chilli is super simple and really tasty. The smoky chipotle is essential to the flavour so buy a good one or, if you can get them, chipotle chillies in adobo. It’s also quick to cook so perfect for weeknights. Serve with rice and some grated cheddar cheese and sour cream on the side if you’re not vegan.
Chipotle bean chilli with avocado salsa – serves 4 to 6
1 large red pepper, deseeded and cut into 2.5cm pieces
1 large green pepper, deseeded and cut into 2.5cm pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 ½ sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic granules
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp chipotle chillies in adobo (or chipotle paste)
2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder (or use a stock cube)
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g tin black beans
400g tin borlotti beans
400g tin mixed beans
pickled sliced jalpeño peppers, to serve
200g tortilla chips, to serve
FOR THE AVOCADO SALSA
2 ripe avocados
a handful of coriander leaves, chopped
juice of ½ lime
Heat a large cast-iron casserole or similar over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and onions, then fry for 3-4 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
Stir in the peppers, then the ground cumin, smoked paprika and garlic granules. Continue cooking and stirring for a couple of minutes, then add the tomato purée and chipotle paste, stir well and cook for another minute.
Sprinkle in the bouillon powder, then pour in 500ml of water and the chopped tomatoes. Stir well and bring to the boil. Drain and rinse the tins of beans, then add them to the pan. Stir well then leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until reduced and thickened.
Meanwhile, peel and chop the avocados and put into a bowl. Add the chopped coriander, lime juice and some salt and pepper, then mix together.
Taste and season the chilli if needed. Then serve in bowls with rice, tortilla chips, the salsa and some pickled chillies.
(Original recipe from Outdoor Cooking by Tom Kerridge, Bloomsbury Absolute, 2021.)
We were very pleased to find a late season crown prince pumpkin at our farm shop last week, which is our favourite variety. You could easily use a butternut squash instead if pumpkin is not available. This is a mild and creamy curry from Sri Lanka.
This is not an attempt at veganuary, we love to eat vegetables just as much as meat and fish. After the excess of Christmas we find a variety of dishes very welcome.
Wine Suggestion: Look to complement the rich, creaminess with a richer, creamy white, like an oaky Chardonnay, or similar. We went a bit left field with an older bottle or Jean-Michel Gerin’s le Champine Viognier which had in our cellar. With a heady apricot, pineapple and mango exoticism and a rich, very textural palate it was an unexpected treat.
Vegan pumpkin & coconut curry – serves 4
1kg pumpkin or butternut squash, peel, deseed and cut into 1 ½ cm cubes (you want about 900g of cubed pumpkin)
2 tsp curry powder, not too hot
1½ tbsp rapeseed oil
fine sea salt
1 onion, finely diced
5 long green chillies, finely sliced, we took the seeds out but you can leave them in if you want more heat
12-15 curry leaves
¾ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
150g cherry tomatoes
1 x 10cm cinnamon stick, snapped in two
2 x 400ml tins coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
rice, to serve
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.
Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Put the pumpkin pieces into a large bowl with the curry powder, rapeseed oil and ¾ tsp of fine sea salt, then toss together to coat. Tip the pumpkin out onto the lined tray and spread it out evenly. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, then set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, put the onion, chillies, curry leaves, turmeric, fenugreek, garlic, cherry tomatoes, cinnamon stick and 1½ tsp of salt into a saucepan with 200ml of cold water. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat and cook for about 12 minutes or until the onions and tomatoes are soft and the liquid almost evaporated.
Add the coconut milk and roasted pumpkin, then bring back to a gentle simmer, then remove from the heat and add the lime juice. Taste and add more lime or salt if needed.
(Original recipe by Meera Sodha in The Guardian, 1st January 2022.)
Sprouts are for winter, not just for Christmas. Here’s an idea to make them shine.
Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts – serves 4
50g hazelnuts
450g Brussels sprouts, halved lengthways if large
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ red onion, very finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking tray and roast for 8 minutes or until golden, then tip onto a clean tea-towel and rub to remove the skins. Roughly chop and set aside.
Put the sprouts in a bowl with 1 tbsp of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss well, then tip onto a baking tray and roast, shaking the tray from time to time, for 20-30 minutes or until tender and turning crispy.
Meanwhile, make a dressing by whisking the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil with the lemon juice and mustard. Stir in the onion and season with salt and pepper.
When the sprouts are ready, transfer them to a bowl, add the hazelnuts and dressing and toss together.
(Original recipe from Everything I Love to Cook by Neil Perry, Murdoch Books, 2021.)
Are you ready for something healthy yet? A delicious, quick and easy side dish. We served this with roast chicken, but we can see it happily going with lamb, sausages or a few other veggie dishes too.
Beetroot & lentil salad with mustard dressing – serves 5-6
200g puy lentils
1 tbsp grainy mustard
1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
300g cooked beetroot (not in vinegar), sliced
a large handful of tarragon, roughly chopped
Put the lentils into a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes, then drain and leave to cool.
Whisk the mustard, olive oil and seasoning together in a small bowl.
Put the lentils into a bow, mix in the dressing, then stir in the beetroot, tarragon and more seasoning.
There has been a packet of mung dal in our cupboard for quite some time now which is really the only reason why we made this lovely dish from Meera Sodha’s East. We’re definitley tempted to buy another packet so we can make it again. Serve with steamed rice.
300g mung dal
250g vine tomatoes, chopped
3 big garlic cloves, crushed
2.5 cm piece of ginger, grated
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli flakes
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
10 fresh curry leaves
1½ tsp salt
1½ tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 long green chilli, very finely chopped
a handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Put the mung dal, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, tumeric, chilli flakes, 1 tbsp of oil, 4 curry leaves and 1.25 litres of water into a large saucepan. Put the pan over a medium heat, with the lid ajar, and bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Give it a stir now now and again. It’s ready when soft and quite thick, then stir in the salt.
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat until smoking hot, then add the mustard and cumin seeds, the chilli and the rest of the curry leaves. The leaves should crisp and the seeds start to pop after about a minute, then remove from the heat and pour over the dal. Stir to mix, then sprinkle over the coriander and serve.
(Original recipe from East by Meera Sodha, Fig Tree, 2019.)
It’s definitely a bit more like soup weather in Dublin and this one’s good and hearty!
Puy lentil and pearl barley soup – serves 6
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
100g dried Puy lentils
100g pearl barley
680g jar passata
1.5 litres vegetable stock
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Heat the olive oil in a large pot, add the onion and carrots and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until softened and starting to colour.
Add the garlic, Puy lentils and pearl barley and stir for a minute, then add the passata and vegetable stock. Season with salt and black pepper.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 40-45 minutes or until everything is tender.
Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar, season again if needed, and serve.
(Original recipe from Mary Berry Cooks up a Feast with Lucy Young, DK Penguin House, 2019.)
This is the Ottolenghi Tesk Kitchen’s hummus made with tinned chickpeas – confirmed creamy and dreamy.
Creamy dreamy hummus – serves 6
2 x 400g tins chickpeas
a pinch of ground cumin
120-150g tahini
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1½ tbsp lemon juice
25g ice cubes
salt
good olive oil, to serve
Spread the chickpeas out between two tea towels and rub together for a few minutes to release the skins. Don’t press too hard or you will crush the chickpeas. Discard the skins.
Put the peeled chickpeas into a saucepan, cover with water and add 1 tsp of salt and the pinch of cumin. Simmer for 15 minutes or until soft.
Drain the chickpeas over a bowl and save the cooking water. Put the warm chickpeas into a food processor with 120g of tahini, the garlic, lemon juice, ice cubes, 2 tbsp of the reserved cooking water and a good pinch of salt. Blitz until smooth, then taste and add more tahini, garlic, lemon, salt and chickpea water to taste. We added a good bit of chickpea water to get the right consistency, it needs to be quite loose as it will thicken.
Spread the hummus in a shallow bowl and create a dip in the centre. Top with a generous glug of your best olive oil.
(Original recipe from OTK Shelf Love by Noor Murad & Yotam Ottolenghi, Ebury Press, 2021.)
Some nights we just feel like loads of veg, and this was one of them! Serve with rice and naan. Keep the dice relatively small so they don’t take too long to cook. This is also gluten-free and vegan if that matters to you.
Wine Suggestion: Good with Cline’s Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi in California. The juicy bramble fruits and warm spices make this a gentle hug of a combination. We love how Cline Family Cellars manage to get such great balance and texture in what could easily be just a fruit bomb: bravo!
A big veggie curry – serves 8
1 large potato, diced
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 aubergine, diced
6 tbsp curry paste, we used Patak’s Madras
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, sliced
700g jar tomato passata
400g tin coconut milk
2 red peppers, sliced
2 courgettes, cut into small cubes
coriander, to serve
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Put the potato, squash and aubergine into a large roasting tin and toss with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and 2 tbsp of the curry paste. Season, toss it all together and roast for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over a medium heat in a large casserole or saucepan. Add the onions and fry until golden, you can add a splash of water if they start to stick. Stir in the remaining 4 tbsp of curry paste and cook for a few minutes, then add the passata, coconut milk and 100ml water. Simmer for 5 minutes.
When the roasted vegetables are tender, tip them into the sauce. Add the courgettes and peppers and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Scatter with coriander and serve.
We’re often cooking for two which means we often halves of things to use up, like half a butternut squash. This is our favourite way to cook it.
Roasted butternut squash – serves 4 as a side (easily halved!)
1 large butternut squash (about 1kg), peeled, deseeded and cut into rough 3cm chunks
10 small sprigs of thyme
50ml olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Spread the squash out on a large baking tray, then add the thyme, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Give it a toss with your hands.
Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until tender and starting to caramelise.
Try these to wet your appetite with a glass of sherry and some crusty bread.
Wine Suggestion: It only makes sense to drink a sherry with this dish with our suggestion being for either a good Fino or Amontillado. Fortunately our friends brought over Tio Pepe’s Fino En Rama. A savoury, minerally wine with grilled almond and iodine characters alongside some delightful lemon and apple fruitiness plus a good dollop of yeasty flor overtones.
Mushrooms with garlic & sherry vinegar – serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
500g mushrooms, halve or quarter big ones
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
a pinch of hot paprika
a small bunch of flatleaf parsley, chopped
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minutes, stirring, then add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat until just browned. If they give out liquid, keep cooking until it’s all gone.
Season well with salt and pepper, then add the sherry vinegar. Allow to sizzle until almost evaporated.
Serve the mushrooms with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of hot paprika and the chopped parsley.
(Original recipe from The Hairy Bikers’ Mediterranean Adventure by Si King & Dave Myers, Seven Dials, 2017.)
We are working are way through every recipe we can find that uses black limes, having finally found some without having to resort to mail order. It is all such a hassle now that we’re not all Europeans as some of our sources are in the UK. The sauce is truly delicious and you will need flatbreads for mopping it all up. Some rice would be good too but not essential.
Wine Suggestion: Black limes have such an introverted and complex character you can’t just match it with anything, but do look for wines that have either lime flavours or a savoury, umami texture. Combine this with the pickle and we had a conundrum. We solved it with Pajzos’ Hárslevelu dry Tokaji whose lime-leaf, savoury character plus a little residual sugar (despite the dry finish) came to the rescue.
Black lime tofu with spinach and pink pickled onions – serves 4
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp caster sugar
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced into rounds
600ml sunflower oil, for deep-frying
2 blocks of extra-firm tofu (560g), patted dry and cut into 2cm cubes
2 tbsp cornflour
2 onions, roughly chopped
6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
60ml olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed in a pestle and mortar
2-3 dried black limes, grind to a powder using a spice grinder you need about 2 tbsp (if you don’t have a spice grinder you can whizz in a food processor, then sieve)
2 tbsp tomato purée
20g flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
250g baby spinach
Make the pink pickled onions first by mixing the vinegar, 1 tsp of sugar, the red onion and ⅛ tsp of salt in a small bowl. Set aside while you make everything else.
Heat the sunflower oil in a sauté pan or wok. Toss the tofu in a bowl with the cornflour until coated. When the oil is hot, fry the tofu in two batches until crispy and lightly browned, about 6 minutes, then transfer to a paper-lined plate.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the onions and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely minced but not puréed. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion mixture and cook for about 10 minutes, until softened and lightly browned. Add the cumin, black limes and tomato purée and cook for another minute. Add 400ml water, 1tsp of sugar, 1 1/4 tsp of salt and lots of black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 6 minutes, until rich and thick. Add the crispy tofu, parsley and more black pepper and stir. Gradually stir in the spinach until just wilted.
Serve in a shallow dish with the pink pickled onions spooned over.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Flavour by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage, Ebury Press, 2020.)
This is one of those recipes that we spotted in the paper and realised we had all the ingredients. It’s yummy – perfect for mid-week lunches.
Spiced carrot soup – serves 4
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
a large pinch of chilli flakes
750g carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 litre hot vegetable stock
100g red lentils
2 bay leaves
fresh mint and parsley, to serve
Warm the olive oil in a deep saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onion. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic and continue cooking for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but not coloured.
Add the cumin, ground coriander and chilli flakes, then add the carrots and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the hot stock to the saucepan, then add the lentils, a little salt and the bay leaves.
Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered with a lid, for 25-30 minutes or until the carrots and lentils are soft.
Whizz the soup in a blender or with a stick blender until you have a thick purée.
Season to taste and garnish with the fresh herbs.
(Original recipe by Nigel Slater in The Guardian, 25 Apr 2021)
We served this as a side with a barbecue but it would also make a nice dinner for 2.
Couscous & chickpeas in ras el hanut spice – serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main
½ a small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ras el hanut spice mix
100g cooked chickpeas (from a tin)
1 tomato, diced
60g couscous
180ml boiling water
15-20g coriander, chopped
Heat the oil in a pan, then fry the onion and garlic over a medium heat until softened and starting to colour. Add the salt and ras el hanut and mix for about 20 seconds. Add the chickpeas and diced tomato and cook for another minute. Stir in the couscous and boiling water, bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and cover.
Leave the couscous aside for 10 minutes to absorb the liquid, then remove the lid and use a fork to separate the grains and mix in the chopped coriander. Serve warm or at room temperature.
(Original recipe from Honey & Co. Food from the Middle East, Saltyard Books, 2014.)
Do we need to provide another recipe for Italian roast potatoes with rosemary? Probably not, but this version uses regular potatoes, rather than the baby waxy variety. So perhaps it will come in handy, as it did for us.
Roast Potatoes with Rosemary – serves 4 to 6
2kg potatoes e.g. Maris Piper or Roosters
a large handful of rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
extra virgin olive oil
Maldon salt and black pepper
Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks, then boil in salted water until just cooked through. Drain in a colander and leave for 10 minutes to cool slightly and lose some mixture.
Preheat the oven to 220C/220C Fan/Gas 7.
Heat a roasting tray in the oven with most of the rosemary leaves and a good few glugs of olive oil, salt and pepper.
Remove the tray from the oven and add the potatoes, turning to coat well in the oil and rosemary .
Roast for about 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes or so.
(Original recipe from Polpo by Russell Norman, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012.)
A few tins and some spices and you’re pretty much sorted for this tasty weeknight curry. We served this with rice the first night, and chips the second. We also know it’s not tomato season at present but the fresh tomatoes are really more for texture than flavour here.
Tomato & chickpea curry – serves 4
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 large tomatoes, quartered
a small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onions for about 10 minutes or until softened.
Add the garlic and spices and keep cooking for another minute or two.
Add the tin of tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon, then simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and season generously. Bring to the boil and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes or until thickened.
Add the chickpeas and fresh tomatoes and allow to warm through. Serve with some steamed rice and the coriander scattered over.
A genius combination by Gill Meller, unusual and totally delicious. Gill deep fries the artichoke skins and some extra nori sheets as a garnish, which looks fab but too much for us to manage on our lunch break.
Jerusalem artichoke, almond and seaweed soup – serves 4
500g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and finely sliced
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
100g whole almonds, soaked overnight in water
2 nori seaweed sheets
1.2 litres of vegetable stock
Put a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat, then heat the olive oil. Add the artichoke slices, the onion, leek, garlic and soaked nuts. Season generously, then cook, stirring often for 8-10 minutes.
Tear the nori sheets into the pan and add the stock. Bring to a simmer, then cook gently for 20-30 minutes or until the artichokes are soft.
Whizz the soup to a smooth purée, then season again. Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving in warm bowls with some of your best olive oil drizzled over.
(Original recipe from Root Stem Leaf Flower by Gill Meller, Hardie Grant, Quadrille, 2020.)
You could have these for dessert with some crème fraîche but we like them for breakfast with yoghurt and granola.
Pomegranate-poached quinces – serves 6
700ml pure pomegranate juice
300ml cold water
350g caster sugar
3 fresh bay leaves
1 tsp pink peppercorns
a few sprigs of thyme
pomegranate seeds, to serve (we skipped these)
Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan.
Put the pomegranate juice, water and sugar into a heavy casserole with a lid. Stir well, then add the bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme. Put the casserole over a low heat and leave to warm gently.
Peel, quarter and core the quinces and add to the pan with the pomegranate juice.
Bring to the boil, then scrunch up a piece of baking paper, slightly bigger than the pan, then unscrunch again and press down on top of the quinces, tucking it in and up the sides of the pan. Cover with the lid and place in the oven.
Cook for 1½-2 hours or until tender. Remove the lid and baking paper, then scoop out the quinces with a spoon. Strain the liquid, then return to the heat and bubble until reduced by half. Pour the liquid back over the quinces and leave to cool. Keep in the fridge until ready to eat, they keep well for a few days.
(Original recipe from Cook, Eat, Repeat by Nigella Lawson, Chatto & Windus, 2020)
Meera Sodha’s daily Dal that she inherited from her mother. Nothing complex but very satisfying and like so many dishes, tastes better the next day. We served with rice, naan bread from the takeaway, yoghurt and mango chutney.
Daily dal – serves 4
225g red lentils
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
12 peppercorns
4 cloves
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
6cm ginger, peeled and finely grated
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
400g tin plum tomatoes
Rinse the lentils in a sieve until the water runs clear then put into a deep saucepan with a lid. Add 600ml of cold water, then bring to the boil over a medium-high heat. Cover with the lid and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes without stirring, until tender.
Meanwhile, put the oil into another deep saucepan. When hot, add the peppercorns and cloves and stir-fry for a minute, or until fragrant, then add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes, until golden.
Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for another 4 minutes before adding the chilli powder, coriander, turmeric and salt. Stir well, then add the tinned tomatoes, crushing them with your hand, then cover and simmer gently for about 8 minutes.
The tomatoes should look paste-like now with only a little juice. Add the lentils using a draining spoon, then pour in any remaining water that they were boiling in, a little at a time, or until the consistency is good.
Cover the pan again and cook on a low heat for a final 10 minutes.
Taste and season with salt and more chilli if you like.
(Original recipe from Made in India by Meera Sodha, Penguin: Fig Tree, 2014.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 