Dhansak is a popular Indian curry made from meat and lentils, flavoured with spices including cumin and ginger. It is mild, sweet and rich with just enough heat to satisfy most tastes. And best of all it benefits from being made a day in advance as it tastes even better the next day. I like to serve this with Raita and FreshTomato Relish as well as hard-boiled eggs, poppadoms, rice and, of course, mango chutney.
SERVES 6
PREPARE AHEAD
Make 1–2 days ahead, keep in the fridge, then reheat thoroughly.
FREEZE
Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze for 1 month. Don’t freeze for longer as the flavours will intensify and the dish may become too spicy.
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1kg (2lb 2oz) diced lamb
(shoulder or leg, or a mixture)
2 onions, diced
25g (1oz) fresh ginger
root, peeled but left whole
4 garlic cloves, peeled but
left whole
1 red chilli, deseeded
and chopped
10 green cardamom pods
1½ tablespoons ground cumin
1½ tablespoons
ground coriander
½ tablespoon ground turmeric
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
200ml (7fl oz) beef stock
75g (3oz) dried red lentils
3 tablespoons clear honey
salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/Gas 2.
2 Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan. Add half the lamb and fry until browned. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside, then brown the other half of the lamb and
set aside.
3 Add the remaining oil to the pan.Add the onions and fry for 4–5 minutes until beginning to soften.
4 Meanwhile, place the ginger, garlic and chilli into a small food processor and whizz until finely chopped.
5 Bash the cardamom pods with the end of a rolling pin to split the husks, then remove the seeds and grind them to a fine powder in a pestle and mortar.Add to the pan along with the remaining spices and the garlic and ginger mixture.
6 Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and add the lamb. Bring to the boil, then cover and place in the oven to simmer for 1–2 hours until tender. Check the seasoning and serve.
PREPARE AHEAD
Keeps for 2 days in the fridge.
1 small cucumber, peeled
350g (12oz) Greek yoghurt
5 tablespoons chopped mint
RAITA
1 Cut the cucumber in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds and cut the flesh into small cubes. Place in a bowl with the yoghurt and mint and chill for up to 2 days before serving.
PREPARE AHEAD
Keeps for 2 days in the fridge.
1 red onion, finely chopped
6 ripe tomatoes, skinned,
deseeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped
coriander leaves,
juice of ½ lemon
½ red chilli, chopped (optional)
FRESH TOMATO RELISH
1 Mix all the ingredients together and chill for up to 2 days before serving.