ruth's lentils

last spring i roadtripped to joshua tree with a caravan of nine friends.the car ride was harrowing, to say the least, but when we stopped pulled into LA to crash for the night around one AM, ulysses's mother (in addition to hosting a gaggle of dazed and bleary college students) presented us with a tray of homemade fennel and feta phyllo triangles and a massive pot of these lentils. the meal was one of the most restorative things i've eaten in recent memory, with the lentils certainly being the most surprising.
i have thought of them often since then. don't be fooled by their visual muddiness--they are startlingly vibrant. slices of whole lemon cook down just long enough to lend a citrusy sparkle to everything, leaving slumped lemony rounds that impart pleasing bites of bitterness (should you choose to leave them in when you serve, which i recommend). ginger and cinnamon add warmth, but it is staunchly on the savory side of the flavor spectrum owing to its indian spice palette. (i added a generous teaspoon of panch phoron to the cumin seed mixture at the end, which only enhanced the kaleidoscopic blend of tastes, but don't bother if you don't have any on hand.)

i had to wrangle this out of ulysses's recipe stash, and since then it's been sitting patiently in the "important" folder of my email inbox for the past seven months, waiting for the weather to get cool enough for big pots of stew. i'm glad it has, if for no other reason than that i always tend to unfairly overlook lentils (the poached eggs--they will suck you in). yet every time i make them i am shocked that i don't do so more often. especially when they can taste like this.

indian style lentils
recipe courtesy of ruth honegger
serves 6, as a main course

• 2 cups green or brown lentils
• 6 cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 peeled cloves garlic, whole
• 2 slices ginger, peeled
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 3/4 of a lemon, sliced into 5-6 thin rounds
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• chopped cilantro, for serving (optional, i skipped it because i hate it)

wash lentils and pick through for debris or pebbles. drain. put in a large pot.

add water (i swapped in a cup of vegetable stock for water, but this is optional), cinnamon stick, bay leaves, whole garlic cloves, ginger and turmeric. bring to a boil. cover, lower heat and simmer gently until tender, 30 minutes or more.

add whole lemon slices (remove seeds), salt, black pepper, and cayenne. stir and cook 5 minutes.

heat oil in a small skillet. add cumin seeds and let sizzle a minute. reduce heat. add minced garlic and sautée a bit, being careful not to burn the garlic. add cumin and coriander. stir a bit and add to lentils. stir. add more liquid, if the lentils are getting too dry or thick. add garam masala and taste for seasoning--mine needed more cayenne, garam masala and cumin. don't be shy.

remove cinnamon stick, ginger slices, garlic cloves and bay leaves. top with chopped cilantro, if using. serve alone, as a soup or with rice or flatbread.