I think the reason I haven’t posted in 2 weeks is that I’m intimidated by the task of telling you about my pre-move cooking bonanza. I wanted to tell you, I really did. I wanted you to be impressed by the sheer volume of ingredients I used, and admire me for not throwing it all away at the last minute. But alas, it is not to be. You’ll never get to hear about how many pounds of beans and grains I cooked, and all the delicious dishes that resulted. Instead I’ll just tell you about one of them. This recipe for lentil dahl was handwritten in the back of my housemate’s cookbook, so its origins are unknown. However, it is easy and delicious. Impress your friends!

Lentil Dahl

1 cup green lentils
1/2 cup red lentils (or just use all green)
5 cups water
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons oil or ghee (don’t know what that is; I used peanut oil)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-2 dried hot peppers, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Put the lentils, water, turmeric, curry powder, and salt into a large pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down the heat. Simmer for about 45 minutes. If it’s too dry, add water; if it’s too wet, take off the lid and cook it down some. When it’s done, whisk it rapidly until it’s thick and creamy.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small frying pan. When it’s hot, add the cumin seeds and cook until they turn darker. Add the chopped garlic and hot peppers, and cook until the garlic is slightly brown and shriveled.

3. Stir the oil and spices into the lentils. Stir in the cilantro.

4. Serve with rice.