Name: Red lentil curry
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 100g red lentils; 2 onions, roughly chopped; 400g tin chopped tomatoes; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 2 tbsp oil, for frying; 1 ½ tsp ground cumin; 1 ½ tsp ground coriander; 4 cardamom pods, squashed; a thumb-sized piece root ginger, finely chopped; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 2-3 green chillies, sliced; 100g baby spinach, chopped; 1 tsp garam masala; a small bunch coriander, chopped; steamed basmati rice or chapatis, to serve; 6 eggs; ¼ tsp ground turmeric; ¼ tsp paprika

100g red lentils
2 onions
roughly chopped
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp oil
for frying
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
4 cardamom pods
squashed
a thumb-sized piece root ginger
finely chopped
4 cloves garlic
crushed
2-3 green chillies
sliced
100g baby spinach
chopped
1 tsp garam masala
a small bunch coriander
chopped
steamed basmati rice or chapatis
to serve

CRISPY EGGS

6 eggs
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp paprika

Method

step 1
Put the lentils, onions and tomatoes in a pan with the turmeric and 1 tsp salt. Add water to just cover, then simmer gently for 20 minutes until the lentils are tender.
step 2
Drop the eggs into boiling water, cook for 7 minutes then plunge into iced water and leave until cooled.
step 3
Heat half the oil in a pan then stir in the cumin, coriander and cardamom. Cook for 2 minutes then stir in the ginger, garlic and chillies. Cook for a few minutes then add the lentil mixture and 100ml water. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for another 10 minutes.
step 4
Peel the eggs and heat the remaining oil in a frying pan. Add the eggs, turmeric and paprika, then season with salt and cook until the skin starts to blister and crisp up.
step 5
Stir the garam masala and coriander into the curry and serve with the halved eggs and rice or chapatis.