Creamy, lemony, coconut daal, dhal, dal...curry?

Dahl, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...a great big, warm, heartening bowl of lentils, with a zing of lemon and a smoke of curry leaves, mustard seeds and lots and lots of garlic.

Comfort food at it's best. I used to think there were 'dhal rules' somewhere out there. That it had to be made this way, or that way, or had to contain this or that particular thing. It isn't so. One of the main reasons I love dahl is because there are no rules really. You can make dal pretty much any which way (and spell it pretty much any which way) as long as it involves lentils cooked into a stew-like form. That's it, that is all the daal judges are after folks.

Twist all the other components which ever way you want them. There are proper and authentic differences in dhal, that don't just fall from whims, and the roots of which lie in historical and geographical variations across india. They're all fascinating to explore but always feel free to make your own history and draw from your surroundings and or personal preferences. Stick to the spicy lentil stew principle and build up from there.

This one is a beauty. It has added texture, zing and a bit more of a spring in its step than the traditional sambar, soup-y, type dahl's. I went for ginger and an over-emphasised lemony flavour, which works really well with this type of lentil and cuts through the coconut preventing it from being too creamy. Although this is really substantial, and more of a curry in its own right, it still wouldn't be complete without serving it with nan bread and boiled rice, but then again what curry would be?

Ingredients:

2 medium white onions

2 lemons

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

2 tsps of turmeric

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 green chilli

2 inch piece of fresh ginger

300g / 10 and half oz puy lentils

1 pint of organic vegetable stock

50g / 1.8 oz creamed coconut

Sea salt and black pepper

Small bunch of fresh coriander

Slice the onions into fine half moons and put in a bowl with the whole juice of one lemon and grate over the zest of lemon.

Toss and set aside. De-seed and finely chop the chilli. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Peel the ginger and slice into thin match-stick shapes.

Get a high sided frying pan on a medium heat and once the base of the pan is warmed through add the cumin, garam masala, coriander, mustard seeds and turmeric and dry fry them for a minute or two. As they become aromatic tip them out into a dish and put to one side with the onions for later. In the same pan add the 2 tbsp of olive oil and keep the heat down low.

Add the garlic, chilli and ginger. Cook for 1 minute and add the onions. Cook together for 7 minutes, or until the onions start to brown and stir in the lentils.

Add the vegetables stock and the dry fried spices and bring to a boil. As soon as it reaches the boil, reduce to a low simmer. Shred the creamed coconut and stir this in. Make sure you give this a good stir until all the coconut disappears as it will take a few moments to break down into the liquid.

Cook for approximately 30-40 minute or until the lentils are softened. Once they are soft season the pot with sea salt and black pepper (not before as this can alter the texture of the lentils whilst they are cooking).

Squeeze in the juice of half the second lemon with some more zest. Sprinkle with roughly chopped fresh coriander to serve.

Serves 4