Rooster folds laundry like he's layering a tort. One level of shirt, two single socks, a pair of perfectly folded undies. Another shirt, until a perfect tower emerges. It's a pain in the butt to put away, but I don't complain. He's an artist.
My art is culinary. I layer flavors. Only in this recipe, all those flavors are blended together into one single pot.
Red (but it's really yellow) Lentil Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions finely chopped (2 cups)
1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
pinch cayenne
10 turns fresh black pepper
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon garam masala
1 pound (2 1/2 cups) dried red lentils, rinsed and picked over
8 cups water (and 3 cubes vegetable or chicken bouillon) or 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock and 4 cups of water
1 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted stock)
In a soup pot, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Sauté the onions in vegetable oil until golden, about 5 minutes. While onions are cooking, measure chili powder, turmeric, cayenne, black peper and garam masala into a small cup. Add the spices to the onions (it’s okay to eliminate the cayenne if you don’t like spicy-hot food; or increase it if you do) and cook for five minutes.
Add the lentils, stir to coat. Add the stock or water and bouillon cubes and bring to a boil. Cook 25 minutes until lentils fall apart. Blend with an immersion blender, or in a blender or omit blending entirely. Add salt.
If desired, garnish with cilantro and/ or plain yogurt. Makes 8 cups
