At the Royal Orchid Metropole Hotel in Mysore in August 2014, we had a superb Black Lentil Makhani Dahl cooked to perfection by Chef Sam David, who gave us a few tips about how to make it. We scribbled down his advice as soon as we got back to our room, and set about trying to making it as soon as we got back to Crystal Palace. This is as close as we can get it; it's a beautifully savoury, creamy, rather lush and sophisticated take on a lovely traditional Indian dish

225g brown, Beluga or Puy lentils

2 onions, finely chopped

4 medium tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and finely chopped

1 green, 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced

20g butter

1 tbsp groundnut oil

1 thumb grated fresh root ginger

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

2 bay leaves

100ml double cream

1 level tsp Kerelan Spice Mix

handful chopped coriander leaves

Dark soy sauce to taste

• Boil the lentils in 800ml water until they’re almost tender. This can take 15 to 25 minuters, depending on what type of lentils you use

• Meanwhile, fry the onions and chillies in the butter and oil over a medium heat for about 7 mins until starting to soften. Turn down the heat and stir in the ginger and spices and cook for 1 min more

• Pour in 800ml boiling water followed by the cooked lentils and any liquid still remaining in them. Add the bay leaves and tomatoes, then simmer for 20 mins more until thickened. Remove and discard the bay leaves, blend about a third of the dahl, and return it to the pan. Stir in the cream, season carefully with soy to taste, and simmer very gently for 10 minutes

• Serve with basmati rice, chapatis, or chunks of sourdough bread, sprinkled with chopped coriander