Greetings all,

I've put this post in the spice area, sorry if it's in the wrong place.

Does anyone here has a mix similar to the Shan brand Dal Curry Mix? I'm hooked on this stuff and can't put my finger one why it's so pleasant. I'm asking for help recreating it as the shops in my area aren't carrying it any more, and it's extremely handy when I'm stuck for dinner.

The box states it contains:

Salt, red chilli, turmeric, black pepper, cumin, coriander, brown cardamom, green cardamom, garlic, ginger, dehydrated dill leaves, citric acid (E330), maltodextrin, hydrolised soy protein, cane sugar, canola oil, silicon dioxide.

I use only 1 tbsp for a pot of the lentils, but the lemony flavour is what intrigues me. If anyone has a similar tasting spice recipe, I could probably go from there? The main flavour is salty lemons with a slight burn afterwards (from the chilli and black pepper). It's a mild chilli, I know that much, as I'm not good with hot things. I add a tbsp of methi leaves to the pot as well, which complements the other items fine. The dal is goes with is mainly split mung dal and with a minor amount of masoor dal to thicken.