I’m not usually mad keen on dal dishes as I find them a little insipid. This dal is the exception. It’s made with tiny little black urid beans and mustard oil that you can buy in any asian grocery shop and cooked in a delicious spicy tomato sauce, enriched at the end with a little butter. I serve this with beef or lamb curry and rice but if you want to make it a little more of a substantial vegetarian dish, you could add some chopped green beans, courgettes or a little paneer.

• 350g whole black urid beans
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 50ml mustard oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 6cm piece of cinnamon stick
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• 300g chopped tomatoes (I use Mutti tinned)
• 1 1/2tsp toasted ground cumin seeds
• 1 1/2tsps turmeric
• 1 1/2tsp ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 2 tsp salt
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 25g butter
• 20g of finely chopped fresh ginger strips
• Handful of chopped fresh coriander

To make…

• Wash the beans in plenty of cold water. Put them in a bowl, cover with fresh cold water to about 4cm above the height of the beans and leave to soak overnight.
• The next day, put the beans and soaking water into a large pan with the chilli powder and 2 teaspoons of the mustard oil. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for an hour and a half until the lentils are tender.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, add the bay leaves and cinnamon and fry for a minute or two. Add the onion, fry for 10 minutes until soft and golden. Stir in the tomatoes, spices and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the tomato mixture to the lentils and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Stir in the butter and the tomatoes, transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with the ginger strips and coriander.

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