Lamb Dhansak

I like curry, especially this one. Dhansak is hot, slightly sour and deeply satisfying.

• 500g lamb, diced
• 150g red lentils
• 150g green lentils
• 25g tamarind paste
• 2 tins of tomatoes (or equivalent amount fresh if you're keen)
• Squirt of tomato purée
• 1 lamb stock cube
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped (green is probably traditional)
• Chillies, to taste (I use at least 1 dried habanero, 3-6 fresh chillies, and a healthy dash of powdered cayenne, but I like it hot)
• A generous amount of garam masala
• 1 desert spoon of turmeric
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• Thumb-sized piece of ginger
• Bunch of coriander, de-stemmed (what a pain) and chopped

Add the turmeric, 1 crushed clove of garlic and a quarter of the ginger (sliced and crushed in a garlic crusher) to some oil and marinate the meat in it. Overnight is ideal but I don't plan these meals nearly far enough in advance.

Rinse and then soak the lentils in about 1l of water for at least 10mins.

Prepare the tamarind (if you're using the block stuff, that means covering it in boiling water to soften).

Heat a big pot over a high heat. Put the lamb in to brown - don't use any more oil, a little bit of crispy burnedness is good. After a minute add the onion. Give it another minute or two, then add the lentils with their water. Add the bell peppers and bring to the boil.

Add the lamb stock cube, chillies, garlic, and a bit of masala, then simmer for the lentils to soften (this usually takes 20-30mins). Feed it a bit more water if necessary.

Once the lentils are soft, add the tomatoes, purée, ginger and tamarind. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10mins. Add more masala and the coriander. And you're done.