Looking for a budget-busting mid-week dinner? Then grab a packet of dried chickpeas, raid the neighbour’s lemon tree, buy a can of coconut cream and some curry leaves, then rummage in your pantry for the rest of what’s required here. If you want to add some meatiness to this already hearty soup, you could add chicken…

We love the layered flavours you get in an Indian curry, especially when they skew sweet-sour. Which they do here, thanks to jaggery, tomatoes and – yum! – tamarind paste. There are a few steps to making this but none are hard. It’s a perfect Sunday cooking project and you can make extras and freeze them for during the week too…