The mighty lentil

Lentils are everything. I don’t mean that in the sense of the current expression, which holds that anything great is “everything.” (You know, when a compliment to a friend for her sartorial choices becomes, “That dress is everything.)

No, I mean that lentils can take on so many forms and personalities as if to seem … well, almost as if they’re a world unto themselves. Luxuriously soft and mushy (in the best possible way), earthy and starchy, crunchy and crispy: It depends on what variety you start with and how you cook it.

Table of Contents

• I break for animals: Theo

• Recipe: Misir Wat

• More favorite lentil recipes

We’ve had millennia to figure out all the things we can do with lentils, because they’re one of the oldest foods in the world, dating back so far that — pardon me if you’ve heard this from me before — the very first lenses got their name because they were shaped like … lentils (Lens orientalis). They undergird the cuisines of entire nations (India) and continents (Africa), are beloved throughout Europe, and are perhaps the least understood in the country where I live and write, although they have legions of fans here, too.

I wrote in my recent Winter Soup Club newsletter for the Boston Globe that some people seem to collect lentil soup recipes, trying out one after another and perhaps never settling on a favorite, while others stick to their tried-and-true. (I’m thinking of the West Coast nurse who ate the same lentil soup every workday for … almost two decades.)

But there is so much more than soups. Lentils show up throughout my 2020 cookbook, “Cool Beans,” in recipes for dip, salad, “meatballs,” and more (soups and stews included). I wanted to show the most interesting uses of legumes imaginable, while my most recent book, “Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking,” hones in on the classics. That’s where this week’s recipe comes from: It’s for Misir Wat, the red lentil stew that is my absolute favorite Ethiopian dish. I worked with the delightful Hawa Hassan, cookbook author and sauce entrepreneur (among other things!), on the recipe, and it’s become one of my go-to lentil treatments.

It’s anchored in berbere, the fiery, layered spice mix that flavors so many Ethiopian recipes, but it also features the spiced butter Niter Kibbeh, which also goes into Gomen (collard greens) and many other classics. I’m a fan of Burlap and Barrel’s Berbere, but Hawa contributed a recipe for her own version of it, too, so you can make it yourself and keep it on hand for whatever you need.

Lentils are simultaneously simple and complicated. Simple in that you really can just cook your most widely available large brown ones in some water for a half hour until they become tender, season them, and off you go. Complicated in that if you set off to make lentils you want to use in a salad and you start with red ones, you’ll need to change your plans to include a bowl of something creamy and soft instead. Similarly, if your goal is a bowl of something creamy and soft and you start with firm little green or black lentils, you’ll probably want to salad-ify your plans instead.

They sound like a great subject for a cooking class, don’t they? Yeah, I thought so, too.

I could have devoted the whole class to soups and stews, but I wanted to demonstrate just how versatile the mighty lentil can be, so instead we’ll be making three recipes using three types of lentils that are far beyond the typical.

I hope you’ll consider joining us — and inviting a friend, too! The class is set for Sunday, March 22, at noon. As always, you get 25 percent off a ticket to the class as a subscriber to this newsletter; just use the promo code “eatatjoes.” And don’t worry; if you want to watch and not cook along, you’re welcome to do that. If you can’t make it live but want to watch later, your ticket gets you access to a recording.

I break for animals:
Theo

Recipe: Misir Wat

Split red lentils can go from firm to mush in a minute, so keep a close eye on them. You want them completely tender and beginning to break down, but still with a bit of texture.

Makes 4 to 6 servings // Time: Weekday // Storage: Refrigerate for up to 5 days in an airtight container or freeze for up to 3 months.

• 4 cups (950ml) water

• ¼ cup (57g) Niter Kibbeh (recipe below)

• 1 small red onion (4 ounces/115g), finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated or pressed

• 3 tablespoons Berbere spice (see Substitutions)

• 2 cups (370g) red lentils, rinsed and drained

• 3 plum tomatoes (4 ounces/115g each), seeded and chopped

• 1½ teaspoons fine salt, plus more to taste

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• ½ cup (18g) lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

In a saucepan or kettle, bring the 4 cups (950ml) water to a boil and keep it hot.

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, warm the niter kibbeh over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the red onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, and berbere and cook until sizzling, about 30 seconds. Add the lentils and tomatoes and stir to coat.

Add the salt and 3 cups (700ml) of the hot water from the pan/kettle. Increase the heat to medium-high to bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce to medium so that the mixture is at a bare simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are very tender but not completely falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes. (Add more of the hot water, as needed, to keep the lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.)

Taste and season with more salt if needed. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro and serve hot.

Niter Kibbeh

Besides using in the Misir Wat, employ this spiced butter to sauté vegetables or tofu or stir into cooked beans or grains.

Makes about 1 cup // Time: Weekday // Storage: Refrigerate for up to 1 month or freeze for up to 3 months.

• 8 ounces (225g) unsalted vegan butter

• 1-inch (2.5cm) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, sliced

• 5 green cardamom pods

• 5 whole cloves

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, ginger, garlic, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, peppercorns, and turmeric. Set over medium-low heat, and once the butter melts, bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature in the pan.

Strain through a very fine-mesh sieve into a jar, reserving the solids to flavor rice if you’d like. Use right away or refrigerate or freeze.

Substitutions

Berbere: Make your own by sautéing the following spices in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 4 minutes, then cooling: 4 tablespoons ground New Mexico chile; 2 tablespoons sweet paprika; 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1/2 teaspoon each ground cardamom, coriander, cumin, ginger, mustard powder and granulated onion; and 1/4 teaspoon each ground allspice, cinnamon, cloves, garlic powder and nutmeg.
Plum tomatoes: 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes.
Lemon juice: Apple cider vinegar.

Adapted from “Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking” (Ten Speed Press, 2024), copyright Joe Yonan.

More favorite lentil recipes

These are gift links to the recipes at the Post. Note that they require you to register but not subscribe. Gift links are free to access for 2 weeks, so if you want to come back to any of these recipes but don’t subscribe or want to subscribe, I suggest you find a way to save them!

Greek Lentil and Spinach Soup With Lemon

Golden Lentils With Soft, Sweet Onions

Dal Makhani