Parippu curry, the yellow dhal

Method

1. 1

   Rinse the lentils

   Wash the lentils in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clear. Red lentils carry a lot of surface starch and rinsing stops the dhal going gluey.

2. 2

   Cook

   Put the lentils in a pan with the water, turmeric, chopped onion, garlic, green chilli and curry powder. Bring to the boil, skim off any froth, then simmer gently for 15 minutes until the lentils have broken down.

3. 3

   Add the coconut milk

   Stir in the coconut milk and salt and simmer for 5 more minutes until the dhal is creamy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Add a splash of water if it looks too thick.

4. 4

   Temper

   In a small pan, heat the coconut oil until it shimmers. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to pop, then add the sliced onion, curry leaves, dried chillies and fenugreek. Fry for 2 minutes until the onion is golden.

5. 5

   Finish

   Pour the sizzling tempering over the dhal, stir once and serve with rice.