Daal balls

½ cup toor daal (yellow split peas)
½ cup masoor daal (red lentils)
½ teaspoon fenugreek
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Small handful of shredded wild garlic leaves or a minced garlic clove
Small handful of shredded coriander (if not using wild garlic)


Put the toor daal into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then add the masoor daal and stand for 30 mins - 1 hour until the lentils are slightly tender.

Toast the fenugreek and cumin seeds in a frying pan.

Drain the lentils and blitz in a food processor. Grind the fenugreek and cumin and add to the lentils with the other spices and the salt, followed by the herbs and garlic/onions, mixing well. If the dough doesn't hold together add a little gram flour till it does.

Form large teaspoons of the mixture into balls. Deep fry for six or seven minutes.

Duck breast with celeriac and beetroot hash

A change of plan meant we had a head of celeriac to use up. In the interests of not wasting £1.40 of root veg, I went out and bought a bunch of beetroot, a duck breast, eggs, bacon and parsley. I will never learn - but this was good.

Aonori is the Japanese (and rather more palatable) name for gutweed - abundantly available on UK beaches and a fine condiment when dried.

½ head of celeriac, roughly grated
½ head of savoy cabbage, shredded
1 small raw beetroot, roughly grated
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 rashers of unsmoked streaky bacon, chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 duck breast fillet, skin on, halved lengthways
2 eggs
Worcestershire sauce
Light soy sauce
A sprig's worth of fresh thyme leaves
A sprig of fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
A big pinch of aonori (optional)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil, butter, sunflower oil

Heat the oven to 200C.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and a thin slice of butter in a large frying pan for which you have a lid. Fry the sliced onion over a medium heat until soft and starting to caramelise, the add the chopped bacon. Cook for five minutes, then add the garlic, celeriac, beetroot and thyme leaves and stir well. Add a good dash of Worcestershire sauce and another of light soy sauce, a splash of hot water, then cover.

Score the duck skin and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over a high flame and sear the duck, skin side down, for 3-4 minutes until the skin is brown and crispy. Transfer to the oven, skin side up, to cook for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breast and how pink you like it.

Fry the shredded cabbage in the duck fat till it's starting to caramelise, then add it to the hash pan, together with another splash of water and more Worcestershire sauce if needed (check and adjust the seasoning here), then cover again.

Heat a tablespoon of sunflower oil on a low heat in the duck pan.

When the duck is ready, remove it to a plate in a warm place to rest for 5 minutes. Take the lid off the hash pan and turn up the heat to crisp the bottom.

Fry the eggs in the sunflower oil until the whites are set but the yolks still runny, seasoning with a little salt and pepper. When ready, sprinkle with aonori.

Sprinkle the parsley on the hash and spoon onto warm plates. Top with a fried egg and slide the duck breast on the side.