Malaysian-Inspired Dahl with Cheese, Chilli and Spinach Roti

I made this dish as a recreation of a delicious meal I had at Roti King a while back! It’s surprisingly simple and mainly uses store cupboard ingredients. Swap the butter in the roti for oil and use vegan cheese to make it fully vegan if you like (the Dahl and chutney are naturally vegan).

Dahl Serves 2, Roti makes 4

FOR THE ROTI (makes 4)

250g plain flour, plus extra to dust

Pinch of salt

150ml warm water

75g cheese, grated (I used a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella)

1 green chilli, finely sliced

Handful spinach

Butter, to fry

FOR THE DAHL

1tbsp oil

1 onion, finely chopped

5 curry leaves (I used dried)

1 garlic clove, crushed

1tsp freshly grated ginger

1tsp paprika

1tsp ground coriander

1tsp ground cumin

1/2tsp mild chilli powder

Finely grated zest 1 lemon

150g red lentils

200ml light coconut milk (freeze the rest of the tin in ice cube trays for later use)

1litre water

FOR THE QUICK CORIANDER CHUTNEY

Handful coriander

1cm piece fresh ginger

1 garlic clove

Juice 1 lemon (use the zested lemon leftover from the Dahl)

1tbsp olive oil

2tbsp water

1 First make the roti, add the flour and salt to a bowl. Pour in the warm water. Knead for 5min until soft and pliable. Set aside to rest.

2 For the Dahl, add the oil to a medium deep pan over medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 5min until slightly softened. Then add the curry leaves, garlic, ginger, paprika, coriander, cumin, chilli and lemon zest. Cook for 2min until slightly fragrant.

3 Stir through the lentils and coat in the spices, then pour in the coconut milk and water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and half cover with a lid. Bubble for 30min, stirring occasionally until the lentils are cooked through. You may need to top up with water.

4 For the roti, scrape the dough onto a floured surface. Separate into 8 balls, then roll each into a rough circle (you might need extra flour), about 15cm wide and 3mm thick. Top 4 of the circles with the cheese, chilli and spinach. Top with the remaining circles and press to seal. Heat a large frying pan over medium, heat and melt a little bit of butter. Fry each roti for 2min per side, or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

5 For the coriander chutney, whizz all the ingredients in a high speed blender (I use a nutribullet) until combined.

6 To serve, divide the Dahl between 2 bowls, top with a drizzle of the coriander chutney and a roti!