40TH BIRTHDAY CURRY

CHICK PEA TARKA DHAL (Kablis chana)

I cook spicy food for me - to my taste! Your taste will be different - so the amounts will change to suit your taste.
1 red chilli
3 cloves Garlic
2 onions
1 tin of cooked Chick Peas(you could soak and pressure cook your own dried chick peas - Saddo!)
Fresh bunch of Coriander
Black Mustard seeds
Cummin seeds
packet of  split red lentils
Turmeric
ground cummin, coriander and garam masala
ground nut oil

Heat some oil in a steel wok, roast cummin and mustard seeds till mustard 'pops', add finely chopped onion, fry till transparent (do not burn) add crushed garlic cloves and finely chopped Chilli. (Don''t dry fry, keep adding oil to keep moist). . Add ground spices = 2 tea spoons of cummin,4 tea spoons of turmeric, 2 tea spoons of coriander, 2 of garam masala, salt. Keep moving mixture  - fry, don't burn, for a while. Add lots of lentils (hallf a pack?) boiling water  to cover mix, add drained chick peas. Stir mix, bring to boil, then simmer. Cover mix BUT keep stiring every 30 secs or so - adding more boiling water when needed (you are aiming at a creamy mix). The mix will stick and burn if too fierce a heat or if you don't stir. As  you taste the mix, adjust salt (Cheat here by adding mild, curry powder to balance to your taste if you feel the need).
Cooked when lentils are soft or you are desperate to eat.
Just before serving add hand full of chopped coriander and natural yoghurt - stir these in do not boil.

Must go as I've just made some cheese topped bread baps and they are scrumdilious with butter when hot!
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