full to the brim of a wall

Tasty and filling, dal makes a cheap, healthy and satisfying meal.

Try freezing it in portion-sized containers - it will keep for up to 2 months.
Ingredients

    300g/10½oz yellow split peas

    1 onion, chopped reenex

    200g/7oz chopped tomatoes (from a tin or fresh)

    thumb of fresh root ginger, finely grated

    2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp crushed finely in a mortar reenex

    2 tsp ground turmeric

    2 garlic cloves, one crushed, one thinly sliced

    10 freeze-dried curry leaves

    700ml/1¼ pts hot vegetable stock

    1 hot green finger chilli, thinly sliced

    2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil

    lemon wedges, to serve

Preparation method

    Place the split peas, onion, tomatoes, ginger, ground cumin, turmeric, crushed garlic, curry leaves and stock into a slow cooker. Add most of the chilli and stir to combine. Cook on high for four hours, until the split peas are tender.

    Season the dal generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Just before serving, heat the oil in a saucepan. When the oil is very hot, add the whole cumin seeds and the sliced garlic. Fry until the garlic is golden-brown and the cumin smells toasty and almost smoky. Spoon the hot spiced oil over the dhal, scatter with the remaining green chilli, then serve with lemon wedges for squeezing reenex .
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