This curry is my quick and dirty go to recipe when there’s very little in the fridge but lentils and rice. It cost pennies to make and goes along way on a budget. It’s quick  and easy to make and always satisfying. If you like it spicy, you can always add extra chilies.

I found a tomato in the fridge along with some wilted cilantro and sliced up some onions and minced ginger. The key to making this flavorful is to fry up the spices first to activate  their flavor.  This serves 4 people and there’s lot of leftovers for lunch the next day.  You can always half the recipe if you want to make less.

Here’s the recipe for Curry Dal:

2  cups red lentils

4 tsp mustard seed

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp coriander

2 or 3 TBLS minced cilantro

3 TBLS grated or finely minced ginger. ( you can always put in less but I love the taste of ginger.

4 tsps Tumeric

1 minced tomato

8 cups water ( you can add more water if you want a thinner result)

Add salt to taste once cooked.

Once you get your pan heated, throw in the onions and stir around until clearish. You can then add the mustard seed and fry up until it starts to pop. Then add all spices and stir up. You can then throw in the lentils, tomato and cilantro and top up with water and leave to cook with the lid on medium heat for about 45 minutes.  I add about 3 tsp of coarse salt at  the end to taste. Serve this with some steamed brown basmati rice and drizzle with yogurt or kefir and you have a great comfort meal every time.