- 2 cups green lentils - the big kind (split pea sized)
- 1 large onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- a little ginger (2 tsp when grated)
- a couple small fresh hot peppers, or cayenne pepper powder
- brown sugar, 2 pinches
- kosher salt
- 2tsp garam masala
- 2tsp ground cumin
- 2tsp curry powder
wash & strain 2 cups of green lentils put them in a pot with 6 cups of water add 2tsp of turmeric, stir together, bring to a boil once boiling, turn to low and simmer for a while. it'll take ~45 minutes to get properly soft. you can stop early or use less water if you like a thicker texture, but cooking them through/nice and soft goes better with rice imo.
chop a large onion. heat a pan to med-low (~160C) and add ~2tbsp of butter (oil if vegan). add onion, sprinkle with kosher salt, and cook low'n'slow for a while, stirring regularly (do not burn or even brown)
while the above are cooking, prepare:
- a spice mix: i do equal parts of garam masala, ground cumin, and curry powder (about 2tsp each)
- 6 cloves of garlic (pressed or minced)
- 2 tsp of ginger (pressed or grated)
minced hot pepper to taste - i use two scotch bonnets with seeds and membrane removed, this is somewhere between mild and medium on the salsa scale. alternatively 0.5tsp cayenne pepper
when the lentils are nearly done, add two pinches of brown sugar and a good amount of salt to taste (in the realm of 3 tbsp of kosher salt, less if using table) & stir
when the onions are done (very translucent and just starting to get browned edges) turn the heat up to med-high, add a bit more butter or oil (~1tbsp), and throw in the garlic/ginger/peppers. cook/stir for a minute or so, then add the spices. turn the heat down (or off if using a heavy pan) and stir for a minute or so.
mix the good stuff into the lentils. complete