Serves 4 to 6

Curry leaves look like bay leaves but have a unique scent. You will find bunches of fresh curry leaves in Indian supermarkets, and they can be frozen for later use. If you can’t get hold of them, dried curry leaves are available in supermarkets, but there really is no comparison in their flavour.

Oil, for cooking

1kg chicken thighs, on the bone

Salt and pepper

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp fenugreek seeds

1-2 dried red chillies

½ tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp poppyseeds

140g orange lentils

400g chopped tomatoes

10 fresh curry leaves

Pinch of asafoetida (optional)

1 Heat a drizzle of oil in a large casserole over a moderate heat. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, then lower into the casserole, skin-side down. Brown the chicken for about 5 minutes or until the skin is nicely golden. Flip the chicken over to brown the other side briefly. Lift out the chicken and set aside. Drain off the fat from the pan.

2 Add a little more oil to the casserole, then sauté the onion for 5 minutes, stirring often until softened. Meanwhile, dry-roast the coriander, cumin, fenugreek, chillies and black mustard seeds in a heavy-based frying pan. Remove from the heat and tip on to a plate. Dry-roast the poppyseeds separately, so that they don’t burn, then mix them with the rest of the roasted spices. Grind the roasted spices to a fine powder using a pestle and mortar.

3 Rinse the lentils in several changes of water. Stir the lentils, chopped tomatoes and 500ml water in with the onion. Return the chicken pieces to the casserole, pressing them down into the curry, and add the ground spices and curry leaves. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the lentils are really soft. Add the asafoetida, if using, and salt to taste, then cook for a further 5 minutes.

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