Melting Afghan chickpea curry

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp ghee (, substitute unsalted butter or coconut oil (for vegan))
• 2 cinnamon sticks ((sub 1/2 tsp powder, add with other spices))
• 1 onion (, finely chopped)
• 1 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 1/2 tbsp grated garlic
• 2 bay leaves (, preferably fresh else dried)
• 1/2 cup dried red split lentils ((Note 1))
• 1 cup water
• 1 litre vegetable stock (, low sodium)
• 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
• 3 x 400g/14oz cans chickpeas (, drained (Note 2))
• 1/4 tsp baking soda / bi-carbonate soda ((makes chickpeas creamy, optional))
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 3/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• Basmati rice (and/or Afghan bread (Note 4), or other flatbread)
• Yogurt ((I like to slightly thin with water so it can be drizzled))
• Fresh coriander / cilantro leaves (, roughly chopped)

Steps

1. 1

   Sauté - Melt the ghee in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the cinnamon and toast for 30 seconds. Add the onion, ginger, garlic and bay leaves. Cook for 3 minutes until the onion is translucent (stir regularly so the garlic & ginger don't catch).

2. 2

   Spices and lentils - Add the Spices and stir for 30 seconds. Add the lentils and stir to coat in the spices.

3. 3

   Simmer lentils - Add the stock and salt. Stir, bring to a simmer. Lower the head to medium, put the lid on and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. 4

   Simmer chickpeas - Add the chickpeas, water and baking soda. Increase the heat to make it simmer again. Then lower the stove slightly and leave to simmer gently for 30 minutes without a lid or until the lentils mostly broken down to make a thin gravy (you can cook an extra 10 minutes to thicken more if you want).

5. 5

   Serve with rice on the side and Afghan or other flatbreads for dunking, drizzled with yogurt and sprinkled with fresh coriander if you want (I do).