Dal bhat

Step 1: Put 7 oz split red lentils (musuro dal), 5 cups water, ½ tsp ground turmeric and ⅓ oz fresh ginger in a large pan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Skim off the grey foam with a spoon as it rises.

Step 2: Turn the heat to medium-low, half-cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have collapsed completely. Whisk hard for 30 seconds so the dal turns smooth, add 1 tsp salt, and check the texture: it should be thin and pourable, like a light soup. Add hot water if it is any thicker.

Step 3: Meanwhile put 10 ½ oz long-grain rice and 2 ½ cups water in a heavy pan with a tight lid. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then cover, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes; the grains should be separate and the surface pitted with small steam holes.

Step 4: For the tarkari, heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in a wide frying pan over a medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke, so the raw, sharp edge cooks out. Take the pan off the heat for a few seconds, then add 1 tsp cumin seeds; they should sizzle and darken within 10 seconds.

Step 5: Return to a medium heat, add 1 onion and 3 garlic cloves and fry for 4 minutes, until the onion is soft and pale gold.

Step 6: Add 14 oz potatoes, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp chilli powder and 1 tsp salt and toss for 3 minutes, until every cube is yellow and the spices smell toasty, not raw.

Step 7: Add 14 oz cauliflower and 1 tomato, stir, cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until a knife slides easily into the potato and the cauliflower edges are lightly browned. The tarkari should be dry, with no sauce pooling in the pan. Stir in ⅓ oz fresh coriander.

Step 8: Just before serving, heat 2 tbsp ghee in a small pan over a medium-high heat. Add 1 dried red chilli and let it puff and darken for a few seconds, then add 1 tsp jimbu (dried Himalayan allium) and fry for about 10 seconds, until it turns a shade darker and smells strongly of garlic and onion. Pour it straight into the dal (it will hiss), stir once and cover the pan.

Step 9: Serve on large plates or a steel thali: a mound of rice in the middle, dal in a bowl to pour over, the tarkari, 4 tbsp stir-fried mustard greens (saag) and a spoonful of 4 tbsp golbheda ko achar (Nepali tomato achar) around the edge, with 4 lime wedges to squeeze. Refill the dal and rice as people eat; that is the Nepali way.