Spiced Lentils

We had these with rice yesterday. Though Milan was non-committal, the others looooooved it, three helpings apiece.

Ingredients:

olive oil
2 red onions, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/2 t turmeric
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t coriander
1 6-inch cinnamon stick
2 star anise
5 green cardamom pods, gently crushed (I only have dried, so that's what I used!)
an inch of fresh ginger, scrubbed and sliced thin (you don't need to peel)

1 cup lentils
scant 3 cups vegetable stock or water (I used water; I think the resultant food is sweeter thereby, without the salt of the stock in it)

Method:

Sautee onions, garlic, jalapeno, and spices, stirring frequently, until soft, 3 - 5 minutes.

Add lentils, stir.

Add stock/water and salt/pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and lentils are tender. (Now, I found there was a fair bit of liquid left over. Perhaps my lentils didn't need so much water, but also, the onions put off liquid as they cook. Doesn't matter: it tasted fine!)


My recipe calls for garnishing the lentils with some fresh red onion and a broiled circle of chevre (which is what my family did, YUM!), but your children ate it -- with gusto! -- served with about an equal portion of white rice.

Enjoy!