Dal – pe hin recipe by Amy Chung and Emily Chung

This is our standard midweek date. It's a comfort food so easy to make: nutritious, filling and inexpensive. We ate a lot of it when we were students... naturally. There are many recipes for this, using different types of lentils and various spice combinations. Each family has its own recipe and its own rules, and here is our version.

Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a sidechana dal ( yellow split peas) 250 g, soaked overnight or at least 4 hours garlic 2 cloves cloves, peeled, left whole vegetable oil 6 tbsp. 3 tbsp cumin seeds >

Rinse and drain the soaked chana dal, then add it to a saucepan with 1 liter of water. Add the garlic cloves, bring the dal to a boil and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, until tender. Be sure to stir occasionally and add more water if the dal seems to be boiling dry.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. Fry for a minute or 2 until fragrant. Add the onions and sauté slowly over low heat until caramelized and slightly crispy. This should take 15-20 minutes. Set aside.

When the dal is cooked, add the turmeric, chili powder and salt, and use a spoon to gently mash the mixture with the cooked garlic until to get a thick, creamy consistency. Add a little more water if you like your dal thinner.

Finally, when ready to serve, stir the cumin fried onions into the dal and serve garnished with cilantro, if applicable.< /p>

Note This dal can be stored in a container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen the day of cooking until ready. at 3 months. Thaw thoroughly and reheat thoroughly before serving.

From The Rangoon Sisters by Amy Chung & Emily Chung (Ebury, £22)