Yellow Dal

Peel the ginger and cut into matchsticks.

Rinse the lentils in a bowl of cold water, use your fingers to massage the lentils. Once the water is cloudy, drain and repeat until the water is pretty much clear. Drain the washed lentils in a sieve and tip into a large saucepan. Pour in 2 litres of cold water. Stir in the ginger, turmeric and a generous pinch of salt.

Get your saucepan over a high heat and bring the lentils to the boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to medium, simmer away for 30 mins, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t catch, until the lentils have broken down, most of the water has been absorbed and you are left with a creamy loose dal. Once you are happy with the consistency, season with salt and black pepper then reduce the heat to low to keep the dal warm.

Tarka time. Thinly slice the shallots, garlic and chilli. Get a small frying pan over a high heat. Drizzle in enough neutral oil that it just covers the surface of the pan. Scrape in the shallots and fry for 4–5 mins, stirring regularly, until lightly golden. Add the garlic, chilli, cumin and mustard seeds. Cook for about 1 min more, stirring continuously, until the shallots are just crisp and everything smells unreal. Take off the heat.

Divide the dal between four bowls and spoon over the hot tarka. Tear over some coriander leaves and cut the lime into wedges to serve. We like to eat this with a naan, paratha or roti.