Red lentil curry

I don’t think we eat nearly enough lentils and beans, especially lentils. They’re so easy to cook and very, very nutritious. A lovely lentil curry on rice – brown or white – is home cooking at its best. It’s also the perfect dish for your haybox or slow cooker, and if you work elsewhere nothing beats coming home knowing that supper is already done. This lentil curry is designed for speed freaks. You can almost call your family to the table as soon as you start cooking. The recipe serves four. In a medium-sized saucepan, fry a chopped onion in 3 tablespoons (50 g) butter until golden brown. Now add two crushed cloves of garlic and a finely chopped green chilli without seeds (use a green pepper if you don’t want it hot). Then add 2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground cumin and 2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground coriander. Cook, stirring, for two to three minutes. In the meantime rinse 1 cup (½ packet) red lentils and drain. Place the lentils in a saucepan with 2 cups (500 ml) boiling stock (the better your stock, the better your lentils will taste) and ½ teaspoon (2 ml) turmeric and simmer slowly, covered, for ten minutes. Add two peeled and chopped tomatoes and simmer for a further five minutes. Season with salt, pepper and ½ cup (125 ml) coconut milk. A spoon of cream can serve as a substitute for coconut milk. It’s delicious with basmati rice – brown or white.