Debs Chana Dal

 There's not a day that goes by when I couldn't eat a large bowl of dal honestly. Its taken a few years for me to get to the right place with a recipe that suits me but this one ticks all the boxes. I've made it so many times now that I rarely mess with the ingredients - I do change from standard Chana dal to lentils depending what I have available and I sometimes add another chilli but otherwise this one knocks together really quickly and makes use of all the storecupboard spices and ingredients that I always have available.

Ingredients

2 Cups Chana dal

4 - 6 cups cold water

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric

5 Tablespoons ghee or olive oil ( I always use olive oil )

2 Teaspoons cumin seeds

6-7 Finely chopped garlic cloves

2 Finely chopped onions

4 Large chopped fresh tomatoes ( or two tins )

2 Inches finely chopped fresh ginger

4 Chopped green chillies

1 Teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder

1/2 Teaspoon turmeric

1 Teaspoon Garam Masala

1 Teaspoon dried amchoor

1 Large pinch Hing

2 Teaspoons ground coriander

Salt and Pepper

Fresh coriander

Rinse Chana well in cold water and soak for an hour - rinse well, cover with water and turmeric and simmer until soft ( about an hour )

Heat oil or ghee in a large flame proof pot and fry cumin seeds, add garlic and fry gently for a minute of so, add onions and fry until pale gold - do not burn- add chillies, ginger and tomatoes and stir for a few moments until all coated then add all the spices and stir for a few moments to release all the flavour.

Add spice mixture to the Chana dal and cook for a further 10 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste. When ready to serve chop some coriander for the top - delicious!!

This lovely dal freezes so well - I always serve with rice or bread and fresh tomatoes.