Looking for the perfect comfort food for a chilly late autumn evening? This recipe will really hit the spot. Dhal is a classic North Indian dish of lentils, slowly simmered in a rich, spicy tomato sauce. Every soothing spoonful releases a burst of warm flavours. Dhal is great because it is so quick, cheap and easy to make. Lentils are really nutritious too. They boast high levels of protein and contain many important minerals, such as iron, calcium and magnesium. Lentils are also rich in fibre and antioxidants.

Once you get the hang of the recipe, you might like to play around a bit by using different kinds of lentils and spices. Your local health food shop or natural food store should carry yellow, red or black lentils. Remember, split lentils are best because they cook quickly and will turn nice and mushy. My favourite place for spices is a little artisan store called The Spice Shop on Portobello Road Market in London. Birgit Erath and her son Philip offer a wide variety of interesting and exotic curry blends made from their own recipes. You can order through their online store.

In case you were wondering, adding a dash of lemon juice and honey at the end is just my way of making the sauce really sing. Dhal will refrigerate and freeze nicely and the flavour will improve over time. I like to serve it up piping hot with brown rice, Nan or Roti bread and a dish of lightly steamed dark green vegetables such as spinach, purple sprouting broccoli or mange tout.

Lentil Dhal

2 tablespoons butter, clarified or Ghee is best (or extra virgin olive oil)
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, very finely diced
1 green chilli
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons Dal Masala (or any spice blend suitable for curry)
1 x 400g tins Italian chopped tomatoes
1 cup split red, black or yellow lentils
3 and half cups of filtered water or stock
Finely ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A good squeeze of juice from half a lemon
1-teaspoon runny honey

Place the lentils in a sieve and pick over them removing any grit. Rinse well under cold water and leave to one side. Place the butter or oil, green chilli, spices, diced onion and chopped garlic and ginger in a large heavy bottomed saucepan. Lightly fry over a low heat until the onions, ginger and garlic soften (about 10 minutes).

Add the chopped tomatoes, lentils and water or stock. Bring to the boil, immediately lower the heat and simmer very gently for around 20-30 minutes. The lentils should be very soft and mushy. Make sure you stir it regularly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. If the dhal becomes to dry during the cooking process, thin it out with a little more liquid or stock.

Just before serving, stir though the lemon juice and honey and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the dhal into bowls and top with a spoonful of natural yoghurt, or thick cream, and a sprinkle of chopped coriander. Serve straight away.