Dhansak is an Indian dish that’s popular among the Parsi community (a community originally from Persia, present day Iran). In Parsi homes, a dhansak meal is traditionally made on Sundays as it can take a long time to prepare.

The recipe below is sweetened using fruit juice, but in the tradional recipes fruit or fruit juice would not have been used. Instead, the Parsi people would use butternut squash or pumpkins.

This meal can be ready within an hour, and will serve four people.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, 300ml chicken stock, 200ml pure pineapple juice, 100ml mango chutney, 5 onions, 2 garlic cloves, fennel seeds, 50ml natural yogurt, ginger puree, tomato puree, 400g lentils, turmeric powder, mild curry powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, fresh coriander leaves

Method:

1. First off, we need to create the onion puree. This can be done by boiling some water in a small pan and adding in 3 onions, which obviously need to be peeled, sliced and diced. Once the water has boiled place the onion in it and allow them to soften. Once soft, drain away the water, add the onion to a blender and puree.

2. Follow the same method above with the lentils to make the lentil puree.

3. Place a large saucepan over a high heat and spoon in two tablespoon’s worth of fennel seeds. Allow the seeds to toast, before pouring on a little oil and then adding the rest of the peeled and chopped onion. Fry the onion in the oil until they are golden.

4. Now for the curry paste. In a small bowl, add in 4 teaspoons of the curry powder, 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Mix together with a small amount of water and then crush in the garlic cloves and grate some ginger in. Mix again until you have a smooth paste.

5. Add the paste to the pan and allow it to heat up for a couple of minutes. While it’s heating, take the chicken breasts and cut into manageable cubes. Add these to the pan, coating them in the curry paste.

6. Spoon in the mango chutney and then pour on the pineapple juice – stir the mixture well.

7. In another bowl pour in the yoghurt, 2 tablespoons of tomato puree, and the lentil and onion puree made earlier and mix well.

8. Make up the chicken stock and pour this into the pan, followed by the yoghurt mixture. Raise the heat until the whole lot begins to simmer, and then lower it to allow the curry to simmer away for another 15-20 minutes.

9. After the time is up add a couple of teaspoons of garam masala and give it a final stir. Allow it another couple of minutes.

10. Serve onto warm plates with rice and naan bread, and my favourite drink with this recipe is an ice cool Tiger beer.

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