This meal is great for crowds and can be prepared in advance.
You will need cooked Basmati rice, cooked brown lentils (these taste good with the addition of fresh ginger and turmeric during cooking), hard-boiled eggs and one or two curries of your choice. In my latest version I used a Madras-style minced beef curry and a Balti-style eggplant, onion and tomato curry. If you have never made a curry, you could follow the instructions on a bought curry paste, using the ingredient of your choice. Take a lightly greased oven dish and start with a thin layer of rice. Now add layers of curries, lentils and eggs in any order finishing with a layer of rice garnished with some of the egg. You could also add sultanas and toasted slivered almonds. Bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour and serve with a cucumber raita and various Indian pickles and chutneys.
michelle picker cooks 