Creamy daal with turmeric-toasted cauliflower

Ingredients

-   400 g brown or black lentils
-   1 bay leaf
-   0.5 cinnamon stick
-   1 dried red chilli
-   Salt
-   40g butter
-   1 tbsp rapeseed oil
-   3 cloves garlic
-   1 onion
-   1 thumb ginger
-   1 tbsp garam masala
-   0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
-   2 tbsp tomato paste
-   200 ml double cream

Spice mix

-   0.5 tbsp cumin seeds
-   2 cloves
-   1 heaped tbsp coriander seeds
-   4 green cardamom pods
-   1 star anise
-   2-3 pinches dried chilli flakes
-   1 tsp fennel seeds

Cauliflower

-   1 small head cauliflower
-   1 tsp ground turmeric
-   2 tbsp rapeseed oil

To serve

-   1 fresh red chilli
-   1 large handful coriander leaves

Method

1.  Rinse the lentils in cold water
2.  Combine lentils with bay leaf, cinnamon and chilli in a large
    pan. Cover with water and a tsp salt.
3.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes until the lentils are
    soft but still keeping their shape.
4.  Finely chop the onion, ginger, and garlic
5.  Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Toast the spice mix
    ingredients until fragrant. Discard the cardamom husks then
    transfer to a pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder
6.  Heat oven to 200C.
7.  Melt half the butter and the oil in a deep casserole dish. Fry
    the onion, garlic and ginger for around 8 minutes until soft.
8.  Stir in the spice mix, garam masala and ground cinnamon. Add the
    tomato paste after 1 minute.
9.  Gently fry for 3 minutes then add the drained lentils.
10. Add enough water to create a thick soup, bring back up to heat
    and bake with a lid for 30 minutes in the oven.
11. Line a baking tray with foil
12. Break the cauliflower into florets. Toss the leaves and the
    florets with turmeric, oil and two large pinches of salt. Then
    turn out onto tray.
13. Roast for 20-25 minutes until crisp and golden in parts.
14. Finely chop the fresh chilli, roughly chop the coriander leaves.
15. Stir the cream and remainin butter into the lentils and season
    again if needed.
16. Spoon the daal into bowls, top with cauliflower, sprinkle with
    freh chili and coriander leaves.
17. Serve with rice.