%%%%%%%%%%% Rentils %%%%%%%%%%% This started as a recipe for Ethiopean red lentils, but we've iterated it a few times into something much better. It's very quick and easy to make and uses stuff we always keep in the pantry, so we whip it up anytime we're caught with an empty fridge and no time to shop or cook anything elaborate. This recipe makes a pretty big pot; you may want to halve it. Ingredients: ============= - 2.5 tsp whole cumin - 5 tsp whole coriander - 7 cups diced red onions - 2 Tbsp diced garlic - 3 Tbsp ginger paste - 1/3 cup diced pickled jalapeno - 2 tsp ground black pepper - 5 Tbsp olive oil - 3 cans of tomato paste - 3 cups of red lentils - 2.5 Tbsp Ethiopean berbere spice mix - 5 cups water - 750g frozen green beans - 2 tsp salt - Fresh cilantro to garnish - Optional: hard-boiled eggs to serve on top - Basmati or jasmine rice, to serve You can of course used fresh green beans instead of frozen; chop them into bite-sized chunks. We use pickled diced garlic from a big Costco jar, but you can use fresh diced garlic instead; beware fresh garlic is more potent than pickled. You can also use fresh jalapenos, but cut the quantity in half or so because fresh jalapeƱo is much spicier. If you don't want it to be very spicy, remove the seeds and veins. To hard-boil the eggs to perfection: Boil enough water to cover the eggs. When it's boiling, add the eggs and leave for 11 minutes. Older eggs will peel easier. After 11 minutes immediately run under very cold water for a couple of minutes. Peel and halve to serve. Preparation ============ Dry toast the cumin and coriander in the bottom of a large pot. Add oil, red onions, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and black pepper. Saute until the onions are starting to caramelize. Add the tomato paste, red lentils, berbere spice, and water. Boil until the lentils are cooked, stirring often. Add the green beans and remove from heat as soon as they're no longer frozen - they will continue to cook in the hot lentils, without losing their crunch. Serving ======== Serve with rice (basmati preferred, and cooked with a little salt) and a hard-boiled egg, and garnish with fresh cilantro.