Here's my version of dhal, quantities don't need to be exact but I have given some as a bit of a guide!

You will need:
split mung beans (those orangey pink lentils in the supermarket in bags) about 8 oz
half an onion
half a lemon
2 bay leaves
2 green chillies slit open
half teaspoon of turmeric
couple of table spoons of sunflower oil OR largish knob of butter with a teaspoon of oil
3 or 4 dried red chillies
medium sized onion cut into fine slices/rings
tablespoon of either mustard seeds or cumin seeds or fennel seeds
largish pinch of ground asafetida* (can miss this out if you don't like it or haven't got any)

To make the dhall:
Pick over the lentils to make sure there are no little stones

Wash thoroughly, put in large saucepan with half onion, lemon, green chillies,  turmeric and bayleaf and enough water to cover to a depth of 2 ins.

Bring to boil, skimming off any froth and throwing this away

Simmer partly covered for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft enough to squash easily.

Take out all flavourings and discard.

Add salt.

While they are cooking make the tarka topping:
Heat up oil or oil/butter mix (the oil stops the butter burning) in frying pan

Add the dried chillies, asafetida and seeds carefully as they will splutter.

Put in the finely sliced onion and cook until brown and crisp. Low/medium heat, don't stir too much

Pour contents of frying pan over the top of the lentils and serve immediately

Plain rice and green salad go really well with this, or any Indian bread like naans, or hot buttered toast.

Cooking rice
I have also put in our way of cooking rice as it is foolproof and dead simple. You can cook it while the dhall is cooking.

1. Put three quarters of a cup of rice per person in a medium size saucepan and rinse unitl water runs clear. Don't mess about too much with it or starch is released and the rice will be sticky.
2. Put cold water in until it covers the rice to the depth of your first knuckle of your middle finger, half way up the knuckle.
3. Bring to the boil, cover and turn down heat to low and leave it alone for 18 to 20  minutes.

4. There should be no water left. Fluff up the rice and serve (if you leave the lid on the pan the rice will stay warn for about half an hour).

You can add cardamom seeds, bay leaf, lemon etc with the water, or salt if you like.

This is my huge batch bake recipe which I make every month without fail. It makes:  2 spag bol,  5 chilli con carne and one shepherds pie for a family of 5 (2 adults and 3 small children),  so a total of 40 portions
but only uses 1kg of mince

Ingredients (looks long but that's because you are making 8 meals!)

1kg mince
3 onions
cpl cloves of garlic
2 oxos or if you are really good the left over juices from a previous beef joint.
6 tins toms (or fresh/frozen if you have plenty)
Tube of tom puree
Any veg you need using up ie peppers,  celery,  carrots,  courgette cut up small or grated.
Couple of  handfuls of porridge (sounds rank but trust me!)
Couple of  handfuls red lentils
6 cans of beans - can use a mix of baked beans, chickpeas, kidney beans whatever you like / is on offer
Chilli powder / fresh chillies to your taste.
Some mashed potatoes

A bit of strong grated cheese (stronger it is the less you need to use)

Method:

In the biggest pan you can find,  fry your mince with onions and garlic. add the oxos and chopped veg and cook until all nicely browned.  Add the lentils and porridge and a good amount of water for them to soak up. Add the toms and cook for about 20 mins (just watch it has enough water).

Now you can split into your meals.

Put one portion into the bottom of a casserole dish and pile with your mashed potatoes and a bit of grated cheese.  Either freeze at this point or pop in oven for 40 mins at 180c.

Add the tom puree and split the remaining mixture in half.  One half should make you 2 nice sized family portions of Bolognese sauce which you can pot up and freeze.

The other half of the mixture is going to be your chilli.  Add all your beans and chilli and cook for another 15 mins until the beans are soft.  Split into 5 tubs.

I think it works out at around a £1 / £1.50 a meal.

Ingredients:

• ¾ lb belly pork, cut in to three strips and then cut each strip into three (cut roughly from the rib bones but remember to include the bones inthe cooking)
• 6 large sausages,  cut in half or thirds depending on size  (I favour strongly flavoured sausages like boar as they provide most of the flavourfor the dish)
• 4 large chicken thighs cut in half
• 1 large onion
• 1 large potato
• 1 large carrot
• 2 bay leaves
• Small handful of fresh parsley
• Salt and  pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic or a teaspoon of minced garlic
• Either a pound of dried haricot bean that have been soaked over night in fresh water or two tins of (beans of your choice) I use chickpeas and red kidney beans.
• 2 pints of good stock  (chicken or vegetable)

Method:

1. In a heavy cast iron Casserole, or Dutch oven on the top of the stove, fry the belly pork until the fat is crispy, remove and drain, next fry the sausages until coloured, drain most of the fat, add the chicken (with orwithout the skin, I normally take off the skin) and cook until coloured.
2. Remove meat and add the garlic and the finely chopped onion fry until theonion is translucent but not brown, add the belly pork and the sausage,and the stock.
3. Bring back to a rolling simmer, and then add the chicken, the beans and the roughly chopped vegetables along with the two bay leaves.
4. Place in the middle a medium oven gas (mark 5)  with a heavy lid cook for two hours,  remove,  taste,  season, and add the parsley.
5. Cover with a round of bakers' parchment and cook for ¾ of an hour or until the stock has reduced to made a fine gravy.
6. Serve with thick wholemeal bread or rice.

Serves 8 - 10 on its own or 12 -16 with rice

The last time I made this, the cost worked out to be roughly 35p per meal.

• 12 oz (340 g) pinto beans
• 8 oz (225 g) belly pork
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and slices
• 1 red and 1 green sweet pepper, quartered, pith removed and sliced
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 teaspoons chilli sauce or 2 chillies finely chopped
• 1 lb (450 g) tomatoes, peeled and quartered
• 8 oz (225 g) garlic sausage, sliced thickly
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Soak the beans overnight covered in water.
2. Drain the beans and put in a pan.  Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 50 minutes until tender. Drain and keep back ¾ pint (400 ml) of the cooking liquid.
3. Brown the belly pork slices under a grill on both sides. Allow to cool a little and then cut into chunks.
4. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onions and peppers and saute until tender.
5. Add the garlic, tomato puree, chilli sauce or chillies, pork pieces, beans and the reserved cooking liquid.
6. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for another 50 minutes or so.
7. Add the tomatoes, garlic sausage and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Simmer for another 30 minutes.

Serves 4 to 6 depending on appetite. Belly pork and garlic sausage relatively cheap to purchase and this is a hearty main course on its own.

• 4 oz (112 g) aduki  beans
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 stick of celery, chopped
• 1 largish carrot, chopped
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, skinned and crushed
• 1 lb (450) tomatoes,  skinned and chopped or 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes in their juice
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1½ pints vegetable stock or water
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Soak the beans overnight covered in water and then drain well.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, celery and carrot and saute until softened.
3. Add the remaining ingredients including the stock/water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour.
4. Remove the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve hot.

Serves 4.  Dried beans are an excellent source of protein, iron and fibre and are inexpensive.

• 6 oz (170 g) dried haricot beans
• 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 medium carrots, peeled if necessary and chopped into rings
• 2  potatoes (about 1 lb (450 g) in weight, peeled and chopped into smallish chunks
• 1 tin (400 g) of chopped tomatoes or plum tomatoes, mashed in their juice
• Couple of sticks of celery (if liked) chopped or a largish leek, washed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• Water
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Soak the haricot beans in a bowl covered with water overnight.
2. Drain the beans and put in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to the boil and boil for about 10 minues and then reduce to a simmer for around 50 minutes until the beans are soft.
3. Drain the beans and retain 1 pint (570 ml) of the cooking water. Put the cooking water and half the beans through a blender and blend until smooth.
4. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft.
5. Add the carrots, celery or leeks, potatoes, tomatoes, the beans and bean puree, parsley and 1 pint (570 ml)  of water.
6. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables, particularly the potatoes, are tender.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 and is very filling.  Only needs to be accompanied by some crusty bread as a meal on its own.  Nice with a sprinkling of grated parmesan on the top of each bowl if you're feeling extravagant!

• 4 oz (112 g) pearl barley
• 4 oz (112 g) peas
• 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes - undrained
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 fl oz (50 ml) dry white wine or apple juice
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Soak the barley in a large bowl covered with water for about 2 hours.
2. Drain the barley.  Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the barley. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the onions, peas, tomatoes, wine or apple juice and tomato puree to the pan.  Bring back to a simmer and simmer for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally,  until the peas and onion are tender.
4. Season to taste and serve hot.

Serves 4 -  All done in One Pot.

• 8 oz (225 g) dried butter beans
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions - peeled and chopped
• 1 large green pepper - quartered,  pith removed and chopped
• 4 large tomatoes (preferably plum type)  -  chopped  (no need to skin or de-seed)  or 400 g tin chopped tomatoes (use the juice towards the stock)
• ¼ pint (145 ml) water/vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or tablespoon of fresh chopped
• 2 teaspoons chilli sauce or finely chopped chilli pepper
• Salt and pepper
• 4 oz (112 g) grated mature cheddar cheese

Method:

1. Soak the beans in a large bowl covered in water overnight.
2. Drain the beans and put in a saucepan with enough fresh water to cover and bring to the boil. Boil for about 10 minutes and then reduce to a simmer for about 50 minutes until the beans are tender. Drain and put to one side.
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the chopped onions and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes util they have softened. If you're using dried chilli also put that in at the same time.
4. Add the tomatoes to the saucepan along with the stock/water oregano and chilli sauce. Bring back to the boil abd then reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens.
5. Stir in the beans and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Transfer the mixture into an ovenproof dish, sprinkle with the grated cheese and put under a pre-heated gril for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.
7. Serve hot.

Serves 4 as a main course.

You can use canned butter beans and avoid the soaking but these do tend to work out more expensive.  To be even more frugal, miss out or cut back on the grated cheese topping.

• 6 spicy sausages
• 6 oz (170 g) dried black-eyed beans
• 2 medium onions - 1 red and 1 white
• 1 large sweet pepper (preferably red)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 or 3 tablespoons tomato puree
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Soak the beans in a large bowl covered in water overnight.
2. Chop up the white onion,  drain the beans, and put in a saucepan with the bay leaves and just enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, continue to boil for about 10 minutes and then reduce to a simmer for about 50 minutes until the beans are tender.
3. Drain the beans and onion, keeping back about 6 fl oz (175 ml) of the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaves.
4. Cook the sausages under a pre-heated grill for 5 or 6 minutes on each side until browned all over.  Slice into ½" (1.25 cm) rounds.
5. Chop up the red onion and pepper. Re-heat the reserved cooking liquid in a large frying pan, add the red wine vinegar, tomato puree and chopped red onion and pepper.
6. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 20 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half.
7. Add the sliced sausages to the pan and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes.
8. Serve hot.

Serves 4 as a main course.

Note: Dried beans are an excellent source of protein, iron and fibre and are inexpensive.