I didn’t realise until we made this dal together why dal makhani (which you might have had at Dishoom or other Indian restaurants as ‘house black dal’) is quite so addictive – it’s got half a block of butter in, as well as cream. With a mild nod to saving your and my arteries, I’ve slightly reduced the amount of butter to no ill effect. This really is a lovely one to have in your repertoire or stashed in the freezer, and it’s very little effort to make. If you have a pressure cooker, see the note – it’ll considerably reduce the cooking time. Do remember to soak the lentils the night before.