Punjabi-Style Dal Makhani And Spinach Brown Rice & A Chicken Breast

Rinse your brown rice, add it to a pot with plenty of cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20-25 min or until it's tender with a slight bite

Once cooked, drain, return it to the pot and keep covered until serving

Added chicken? Cook at 220°C / 200°C (fan) / gas 7 for 18-20 min

Peel and finely dice your shallot[s]

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a generous drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium heat

Once hot, add half your cumin seeds (you'll use the rest later!) and cook for 1 min or until fragrant, then add the diced shallot, your ground turmeric and a very generous pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 min or until starting to soften

Chop your tomato[es] into bite-sized pieces

Chop your coriander roughly, including the stalks

Boil a full kettle

Once the shallot has softened, add the chopped tomato and ginger & garlic paste and cook for 3-4 min further or until the tomato is beginning to soften

Meanwhile, drain and rinse your black beans and green lentils

Dissolve your vegetable stock mix in 400ml [600ml] [800ml] boiled water

Add your tomato paste to the pan and cook for 1-2 min

Add the drained black beans and green lentils and cook for 2-3 min or until starting to soften, then mash them roughly

Tip: Add a splash of water if it is looking a little dry – this will help to thicken the sauce!

Add the stock and your garam masala to the pan and bring to the boil

Cook for 6-8 min further or until the sauce has thickened

Reboil half a kettle

Once thickened, remove from the heat and add stir through your clotted cream – this is your Punjabi-style dal makhani

Wash your spinach, then add to a colander and pour boiled water all over it so that it starts to wilt

Rinse the wilted spinach under cold running water until it's cool

Once cool, squeeze as much water out of the spinach as you can, then chop it roughly

Once the rice is done, stir through the chopped spinach and season with a pinch of salt – this is your spinach rice