4½ oz (125 g) yellow split lentils (channa dal)

1½ teaspoons cumin seed or 1½ teaspoons ground cumin

4 cardamom pods or 1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom

5 cloves or 1/3 teaspoon ground cloves

1-in (2½-cm) piece cinnamon stick or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 medium-sized onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

¾-in (2-cm) piece fresh ginger root

1 lb (500 g) lean ground lamb

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

¼ cup (65 g) finely chopped mint leaves and fresh coriander leaves

Oil for deep-frying

METHOD

Rinse the lentils and soak them in water for 2 hours. Drain and place them in a saucepan. Cover with water and boil until they are soft- about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain well. Grind the dried spices to a powder and set it aside. Mash the onions, garlic and ginger to a paste. Add the ground lamb, the spice paste and the dried spices to the lentils, stir together and cook without adding any water or oil until the meat is cooked and the mixture is fairly dry.

When cool, grind the mixture to a fine paste, adding salt and pepper to taste. Beat the egg and mix it with the mint and coriander and the ground lentils and lamb. Heat the oil in a skillet. Shape the mixture into cutlets and deep-fry them in the oil until golden brown. Serve with chutney, lemon twists and salad