This was my favourite curry as a kid. It wasn’t a family recipe. It was something my mum would always order from the local Indian takeaway. It was tasty, spicy and lemony.

Not many places have this on the menu. My mum would always ask if they could make it just for her. The answer was usually yes!

A few years ago I remembered this curry and decided to recreate it. Sambar is a vegetable stew/soupy-like curry dish with lentils, using sambar masala spice. I always remembered lemon being a vital ingredient. So this is my version of the sambar I had as a kid.

• Serves 4/5
• 265g chana dhal lentils/yellow split peas (dried)
• 2 pints of boiling water for the lentils, plus 200ml for the curry
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2” chunk of ginger
• 1 red chilli
• 3 or 4 small tomatoes
• 1 tbsp. oil, I used sunflower
• 1 tbsp. black mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp. curry leaves
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tbsp. coriander powder
• 1 tbsp. cumin powder
• 1 heap tsp. turmeric powder
• 2 tsp. fenugreek powder
• 1 tsp. crushed black peppercorn
• 10 chicken thighs, skins removed
• 1 tsp. tamarind paste
• 1 large lemon, un-waxed
• 30g fresh coriander, chopped
• Salt

• Place the lentils in a pan with boiling water and salt. Bring the mixture back to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, and add more water if needed. The goal is for the lentils to become soft and almost mushy, while the liquid thickens. Do not drain this water, as it will serve as the sauce for the curry.
• While the lentils are boiling, prepare your curry; blend the garlic, ginger, chilli, and the fresh tomatoes, set aside.
• Heat the oil in a deep pan, add the mustard seeds and the curry leaves. The mustard seeds will start to pop; when they do, add your onions and turn the heat to medium. Cook the onions until they are soft, then add the dry powders and crushed peppercorns and stir.
• Add the chicken and coat in all of the spices. Once coated, add the tamarind.
• When the chicken turns white, add the tomato mix. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the tomato reduces. Then add 200ml of hot water, or just enough to cover the chicken. Avoid putting too much liquid in, as we still have to add the lentils. Cook on low for 10 minutes.
• Chop half of the lemon into wedges and add to the pan; squeeze in the juice of the other half. Put a lid on and cook on a medium heat for 25 minutes.
• Whilst this is cooking, check your lentils. If they are still a little hard, add more water if needed and keep it bubbling away. Once the lentils are nice and soft, set aside along with any excess liquid.
• After the 25 minutes the chicken should be tender.
• Add the lentils and liquid, mix well and season with salt to taste.
• Add chopped coriander and mix well.
• Serve with rice and breads.
• The lentils should be mushy and the lemons should be soft enough to eat whole.