Nigel Slater’s midweek dinner: beetroot and brown lentils

Serves 2-3. Ready in 30 minutes.

A mild and aromatic way with split red lentils. The tiny orange lentils cook quickly and welcome the sweetness of beetroot and crisp, golden onions. Seasoned with the usual notes of ginger and turmeric I like to finish with a little garam masala. I sometimes introduce a smoky note to the proceedings with curry leaves when I can get them.

Peel 1 medium onion and slice into thin rings. Pour 3 tbsp of olive oil into a shallow pan, add the onions and fry to a deep, golden brown, stirring from time to time. Peel and thinly slice 2 cloves of garlic, adding to the onions half way through cooking, then grate in 30g of peeled ginger using a fine grater. Stir in 1 tsp of chilli flakes, 1 tsp of yellow mustard seeds and 1 tsp of ground turmeric.

Bring 800ml of vegetable stock to the boil in a medium-sized saucepan, tip in 300g of split red lentils, lower the heat slightly, then let the cook for 15 minutes until soft.

Roughly chop 250g of cooked beetroot and stir into the onions. Stir 50g of butter, a generous seasoning of salt and black pepper and 2 tsp of garam masala into the lentils. Taste for seasoning, then divide between 2 bowls. Top each with 2 tbsp of thick yoghurt and then spoon the onion and beetroot mixture on to the lentils. If you prefer you can stir the yoghurt into the mix before stirring.

• If you can get hold of curry leaves, they make a fine addition. Add them to the onions, near the end of cooking, letting them darken slightly in the hot oil. Alternatively, cook them to a crisp in a little oil in a separate frying pan, then scatter them over at the end.

Photograph by Jonathan Lovekin