This is one of our longtime favourite recipes. It has a nice sweet-spicy contrast thing happening with the curry and the coconut. I think it’s based on something from a James Barber cookbook originally.

1 cup orange lentils
2 cups water
1 large onion
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam marsala
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup yogurt

Simmer lentils in a covered pot in the water until well cooked. In a seperate frying pan or wok, saute onion in oil until translucent. Add spices and coconut and cook for a few minutes more. Lower the temperature to minimum, and add cooked lentils and yogurt. Stir until well mixed and heated through (5-10 minutes). Serve over rice, topped with a bit of extra coconut.

dahl