Lentils Sri Lankan Style

Ingredients:

2 cups red lentils

2 cups thin coconut milk

1 dried red chilli, broken into pieces

2 teaspoons pounded Maldive fish

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon or oil

6 curry leaves

2 midium onions, finely sliced

5 cm (2 inch) strip pandan leaf

5 cm (2 inch) stick of cinnamon

small stalk lemon grass or strip of lemon rind

1/2 cups thick coconut milk

Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions:

Wash lentils well until water is clean. Remove and discard lentils that float on the surface of the water or any that are discoloured. Put drained lentils in a saucepan with the thin coconut milk, chilli, Maldive fish and turmeric. Bring to the boil, then cover and cook slowly until lentils are soft. In another saucepan heat the oil and fry the curry leaves, onions, ramped cinnamon and lemon grass until onions are brown. Reserve half the onions for garnishing the dish and turn the lentil mixture into the saucepan. Add thick coconut milk and salt to taste, and simmer uncovered until lentils are very soft and the consistency of runnv porridge. Serve with rice and curries.

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