recipe - chicken dhansak

Chicken Dhansak

This warming curry is perfect for a chilly autumn evening. It’s a fairly mild dish, but if you prefer something a little hotter, add a chopped red or green chilli pepper to the minced onion mixture.

Serves: 4 Ready in: 1 hour 20 minutes

• 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed • 2 tsp grated fresh root ginger • 2 tbsp sunflower oil • 2 tbsp mild curry paste (such as Patak’s) • 500g skinless chicken fillets • 100g red lentils • 600ml chicken stock or water • 2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • Boiled basmati rice and onion and cucumber relish (see tip), to serve • Fried onions, to garnish 1. Place the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor or blender and whizz for a few seconds until finely minced. 2. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan and fry the minced onion mixture for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute. 3. Cut the chicken fillets into large chunks and add to the frying pan. Cook over a medium heat until no longer pink. Stir in the red lentils and stock or water. Cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally for 30-35 minutes until the chicken and lentils are tender. 4. Add the tomatoes and simmer uncovered for a further 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the tomatoes are soft. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with boiled basmati rice and onion and cucumber relish. Garnish with fried onions.

Tip To make the relish, simply mix together finely shredded red onion with thinly sliced cucumber, fresh chopped mint, a squeeze of lemon juice and a little salt.