Ingredients

• 200g/7oz red lentils
• 3cm/1¼ piece fresh root ginger
• peeled
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 3 tbsp ghee
• 1 onion
• half finely chopped
• half finely sliced
• 1½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 3 garlic cloves
• finely chopped
• 1 fresh red chilli
• finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes
• roughly chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 dried red chilli
• roughly chopped
• 400g/14oz plain flour
• plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1½ tsp instant dried yeast
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 110ml/4fl oz milk
• 110ml/4fl oz plain yoghurt
• 1 free-range egg
• beaten
• 4 tbsp ghee
• plus extra for greasing
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 150g/5oz dried apricots
• finely chopped
• 4-6 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
• to serve

Directions

• For the tarka dahl
• place the lentils
• ginger and turmeric into a saucepan
• cover with water and bring to the boil. Skim any scum from the surface
• then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering and simmer the lentils for 25-30 minutes
• or until tender. Drain well.
• Meanwhile
• heat a frying pan until hot
• add two tablespoons of the ghee and all of the finely chopped onion
• ground cumin
• ground coriander and chilli powder and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and fresh red chilli and cook for a further 1-2 minutes
• or until softened.
• Add the tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes
• or until the tomatoes have broken down and the mixture has thickened slightly. Add the cooked
• drained lentils and stir to combine. Season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Meanwhile
• heat the remaining ghee in a separate frying pan
• add the sliced onion and the dried red chilli and fry over a high heat for 4-5 minutes
• or until the onion is crisp and golden-brown.
• For the apricot and coriander naan breads
• place the flour
• sugar
• yeast
• baking powder and salt into a bowl and mix well to combine.
• Whisk together the milk
• yoghurt
• egg and one tablespoon of the ghee together in a separate bowl until well combined.
• Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients in the first bowl and pour in the milk mixture
• mixing to form a soft dough.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface for ten minutes
• or until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl
• cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise (prove) for one hour.
• Meanwhile
• preheat the grill to high and the oven to 230C/450F/Gas 8. Place a baking sheet into the preheated oven.
• When the dough has risen
• remove it from the bowl and knock back to remove most of the air. Knead once more
• then divide into four equal portions.
• Roll and stretch each dough portion into a teardrop-shaped piece
• as large and thin as possible. Mix one teaspoon of the ground coriander with the remaining ghee and the other teaspoon of ground coriander with the chopped apricots.
• Sprinkle the apricot and coriander mixture lengthways over one half of each piece of dough. Fold over and press down lightly
• then reshape into a tear drop shape
• using a rolling pin.
• Place the dough onto the preheated baking sheet
• transfer to the oven and bake for 4-5 minutes
• turning halfway through. Remove from the oven
• brush with the coriander and ghee mixture
• then grill the breads under the preheated grill for 1-2 minutes
• until golden-brown on top.
• To serve
• spoon the dahl into four serving bowls
• scatter over the crisp onions and chilli and sprinkle over the chopped coriander. Serve the naan bread alongside.