Thakali Khana

Ingredients

• 12⅓ ozRiceshort grain or basmati, rinsed until the water runs clear
• 7 ozwhole black urad dalfor the dal, cooked soft and lightly mashed
• 7 ozSplit pigeon peas (toor dal)alternative to urad dal (optional)
• 1⅔ lbChickencut into pieces, for the curry; optional in source 2
• 4 tbspOilheat to smoking point to remove bitterness
• 2 tbspgheefor the tempering
• 2Onionfinely sliced, caramelised for the curry
• 5Tomatosome chopped for the curries, the rest charred for the pickle
• 2Potatoescubed
• 5¼ ozfermented bamboo shoots (tama)cooked with the potatoes as aloo tama
• 7 ozMustard greens or spinachcoarsely chopped, briefly sautéed
• 4 clovesGarlicfor the dal, the greens and the pickle
• 1 tbspginger and garlicbase of the curry
• 2 tspCumin seedsfor the tempering and the potato curry
• 1 tspTurmericin the dal and the curries
• 1 tspChili powderfor the meat curry
• 1½ tspGround corianderpart of the curry spice mix (optional)
• ½ tspGaram masalastirred in at the end (optional)
• 2Dried red chiliessizzled in ghee for the tempering
• 2Green chiliesslit, for the curry and the pickle
• 1 tbspSesame seedsfor the tomato pickle
• 1Lemonjuice for pickle and curry, wedges to serve
• 1 bunchfresh corianderchopped, to garnish
• Saltseason every component

Method

1. Cook and temper the dalRinse the split black lentils and simmer them in plenty of water with turmeric, crushed garlic and salt until soft, skimming off the foam as it rises. For the tempering, heat the ghee and let the cumin seeds and dried red chillies foam up in it, stir the whole lot into the dal, then cover and let it sit.
2. Cook the riceRinse the rice until the water runs clear, bring it to the boil in twice its volume of water, then cover and cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Take it off the heat and keep it warm.
3. Build the curry baseFor the chicken curry, heat mustard oil to smoking point — that takes the bitterness out of it — caramelise the finely sliced onions in it and fry the ginger garlic paste briefly alongside.
4. Braise the chickenBrown the chicken pieces with turmeric, chilli powder, cumin and coriander powder and salt, add the chopped tomatoes and braise covered with a little water for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meat is tender. Stir in the garam masala and a squeeze of lemon juice at the end.
5. Make the aloo tamaFor the aloo tama, heat mustard oil in a second pan with cumin seeds and a slit green chilli, fry the cubed potatoes with turmeric, then add tomato and the fermented bamboo shoots and cook with a little water until soft and thickened.
6. Wilt the garlicky greensFry sliced garlic in mustard oil until golden, add the coarsely chopped mustard greens or spinach and let them collapse in the uncovered pan, then season with salt.
7. Pound the tomato pickleFor the pickle, char the remaining tomatoes over an open flame or in the oven, pound them roughly with sesame seeds, garlic, green chilli, salt and lemon juice, and stir in mustard oil.
8. Plate up and serveKeep all the components hot and taste them through once more. Put the rice in the middle of the plate, arrange the dal, chicken curry, aloo tama, greens and pickle around it, scatter with coriander leaves and serve with a lemon wedge.

Tips and variations

Instead of several separate bowls you can make one single curry: cook vegetables such as cauliflower, potato and beans — with meat if you like — in one pot and fold the cooked dal through. For the dal you can use split pigeon peas (toor dal), which soften faster in a pressure cooker, and for the rice choose between short grain and basmati. To keep it meat-free, leave out the chicken or swap in tofu and use oil instead of ghee; you can also stick to mustard oil throughout, or a neutral vegetable oil. If you're short on time, pickled chillies or mixed achar from a jar do the job of the freshly roasted tomato pickle. Serve everything at once and hot on one big plate, so everyone can help themselves to a bit of this and that alongside the rice.