Cheat's Makhani Dal

Thoroughly rinse the brown lentils. Peel and finely chop the onion. Finely chop the green chilli. Split the cardamom pods open with the back of a knife.

Heat a large pot over a medium heat with the coconut oil. Once hot, add the onion with a pinch of salt and fry for 7-8 min until softened. Once softened, add the ginger garlic paste, green chilli (spicy!), cardamom pods, garam masala, tomato paste and smoked paprika. Fry for 2 min further.

Add the lentils, measured water and stock cube. Simmer, covered, for 45-60 min or until the lentils are softened and falling apart. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, add the basmati rice, salt and the measured water to a pan with a lid and bring to a boil over a high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10-12 min or until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Remove the pan from the heat and keep it covered until serving. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Meanwhile, juice 0.5/0.5/1 lemon into a bowl. Peel and finely chop the shallots. Add the shallots to the lemon juice. Chop the cucumber into bite-size pieces. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Finely chop the coriander. Add the lot to the bowl with the shallot. Season with salt and pepper and give everything a good mix up.

Drain and rinse the kidney beans. Once the lentils have softened, add the kidney beans and cashew cream cheeze to the pan and simmer for 3 min further. Serve the dal over the rice with the kachumber salad to the side.