Creamy black dhal with crispy onions - Good Food Middle East

Ingredients

• 250g black urid beans (also called urid dal, urad dal, black lentils or black gram beans - available from large supermarkets) - yellow split peas also work well
• 100g butter or ghee
• 2 large white onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp chilli powder (optional)
• small bunch coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves reserved to serve
• 400g passata or chopped tomatoes
• 1 fat red chilli, pierced a few times with the tip of a sharp knife
• 50ml double cream
• cooked rice, naan bread or baked sweet potatoes
• coriander
• sliced red chilli
• lime wedges
• yogurt (or a swirl of cream)
• your favourite Indian pickle or chutney
• crispy salad onions (to make your own, see recipe below)