Red Lentils

By Marylee

This is a traditional Ethiopian recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1/4 Cup olive oil
• 21/2-3 Cups water, divided
• 1-2 TB. PERI PERI SEASONING or CAYENNE PEPPER (1 TB. is hot, 2 TB. is blazing)
• 1/4 tsp. POWDERED GINGER
• 1 small clove garlic, diced (1/4 tsp. PENZEYS MINCED GARLIC)
• 1 Cup red lentils, washed (regular green lentils can be used but take a bit longer to cook)
• 1 TB. butter or qibe (seasoned butter)
• 1/4 tsp. salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp. PENZEYS FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER, to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Using a medium pot with a lid, start by sautéing the onions until light brown, about 6-8 minutes over medium heat. Don't worry if they stick a bit. Add the oil. Once it is simmering, add 1/4 cup water. Then immediately add the PERI PERI or CAYENNE and the GINGER and GARLIC. It will be a rather thick mix, but keep stirring as it may burn if you don't. Add the qibe or butter, and about 1 cup water 1/4 cup at a time, constantly stirring. It is important that you add the water gradually because the PERI PERI or CAYENNE has to cook and blend with the broth. Once you have enough volume in your pot to submerge the lentils, add them. Stir the lentils for about 2 minutes. Then add about a cup of water to the pot and close the lid and let it come to a boil. Once the volume of the pot has considerably come down, 10 minutes or so, start stirring to see if the lentils have cooked. If they are tender and crush easily, it's time to take your pot off the stove. If not, keep them cooking, checking every 3 minutes, adding 1-2 TB. of water as needed so they don't get totally dry. Our red lentils took about 12 minutes, our regular lentils 20. Let cool a bit, add SALT and PEPPER, taste, add more as desired. Serve warm with regular or flat bread for dipping.