One of our favourite curries at www.cookeatworld.com! This luxurious Pakistani recipe features few ingredients, cooked to perfection. Nutty lentils pair amazingly with spiced, juicy chicken. It's perfection!
Add the chana dal and 1/2 tsp of the turmeric to a pan and cover with around 500ml water. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes until soft. Drain them of half their cooking liquid.
In the meantime, In a large pan, heat the ghee over a moderate heat until hot - then add the bay leaf, peppercorns and cloves and fry briefly before adding the onions. Cook for 5-7 minutes - until golden and soft.
Add the chicken pieces, garlic, cinnamon, salt, coriander powder, cayenne and remaining 1/2 tsp of turmeric and fry for a further 5 minutes.
Add 400-500ml warm water, enough to cover the chicken well. Bring this to the boil, reduce heat and simmer moderately for 20 minutes, partially covered.
Add the lentils in their remaining cooking liquid and cook, uncovered for another 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Lentils can be a little temperamental and absorb differently so, If it's a little thick, add a touch of water. If it's too thin, let it cook for a little longer. You want a fair amount of sauce, but not too watery.Check seasoning and serve with lots of fluffy basmati rice or a pile of hot roti, chapati or naan.