Lentils

• olive oil
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 Tbsp crushed chili peppers
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup green lentils, washed and picked over
• 1 tsp salt
• 2.5 cups water or chicken stock

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pot. Throw in the cumin seeds and crushed chilis and let them sizzle for a few seconds. Then add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent. Add the lentils, the water or stock, and the salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the lentils get soft, about 45 minutes. Unfortunately, you have to watch this dish pretty closely since there's a short window between when the lentils are too firm and when they get too mushy. A little fresh lemon juice added at the end is nice. The lentils are good by themselves or with rice.

Last modified: Sun Feb 13 15:15:36 2000