Try It, You'll Like It

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Sunday, February 8^th

David woke up with a cold, which isn’t good for anybody.  There’s lots of moaning and groaning, and apparently he was so weak with fatigue, he could barely get out a pathetic “…will you get me some juice…” once he was finally able to crawl downstairs.  This would be a good day for me to leave the house and run errands, I think.  We were supposed to bring Millie to Sentosa Beach for her first beach swim today, but she wasn’t feeling well either – her tummy was loud and grumbly, which is usually a sign of trouble.  Sure enough, I was unfortunate enough to see her stomach contents in the Bonsai Garden of the Singapore Botanical Gardens on our walk.  There was someone jogging by, so it was a little embarrassing.  If your dog throws up in a public garden, are you expected to clean it up, like poo?  I chose "no, just leave it and walk quickly away".  I just hope some little kid didn’t step in it on the way to see the cool little mini-trees.

I made my fourth trip to the grocery store in four days, in order to get the rest of the spices for a new local recipe I wanted to try.  There's a substantial Indian population here in Singapore, and I'm determined to learn how to cook some authentic Indian cuisine.  Plus it was vegetarian with lots of garlic and ginger and I figure I could tell David it's good for his cold.  I'm a terrible nurse, I have no sympathy and no patience with those who refuse to suck it up so I try to make up for it in other ways.  Cooking for him allows me to do something nice without actually having to pretend to feel sorry for him, instead of annoyed that he's forcing his misery on me.

I don't know if there are any foodies out there, but the dish was fantastic.  I thought I'd share.

Spiced Red Lentils

Serves 8 as a side dish or 4 as a main course

1/2 t ground coriander

1/2 t ground cumin

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t ground tumeric

1/8 t ground cardmom

1/8 t red pepper flakes

1 T vegetable oil

1 medium onion

4 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 t minced fresh ginger

4 cups water (or 3 cups water and 1 cup coconut milk)

1 1/4 cups red lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 pound plum tomatoes, cored, seeded nd chopped medium

1/2 cup minced fresh cliantro leaves

2 T unsalted butter

Salt and ground black pepper

1.)  Combine the spices in a small bowl and set aside.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the spices and saute until fragrant, about 10 seconds.  Stir in the onion and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2.)  Stir in the water and lentils and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the lentils are tender and resemble a coarse puree, 20 to 25 minutes.  (At this point, the lentils can be regrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days; reheat over medium-low before continuing.)

3.)  Stir in the tomatoes, cilantro, and butter and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.