Pani puri with dahl

Serves 4-6

You can buy these pani puris or gol gappas – puffed crispy bread – in most Indian supermarkets and they are perfect for filling with all sorts of mixtures, from curries to chutneys. You do tend to get rather a lot in the box they come in, so you'll just have to snack on the rest.

12 or so pani puris
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 small green chilli, trimmed and finely chopped
1tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
tsp ground cumin
tsp cumin seeds
tsp fenugreek seeds
tsp ground turmeric
tsp black mustard seeds
600ml vegetable stock
100g split yellow lentils (dahl)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Gently cook the onion, garlic and chilli in the ghee for a couple of minutes, until soft, then add all the spices and continue cooking for a couple more minutes.

Next, add the vegetable stock and split yellow lentils to the pan and season. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked.

To serve, push a hole in to the centre of each pani puri with your finger and spoon in the dahl.