Coconut Curried Red Lentil Dip with a side of Meditation

We’ve been hunkered down here in back-to-school/back-to-medicine hustle and bustle. I’m experimenting with how to use meditation as a way to bottle and slow-release my own vacations and the accompanying good vibrations back into my life—a redistribution technique of joy. Here’s the current method: take a photo you took on your most recent vacation or day off and as you gaze at it, notice all the details you did not likely notice in the moment. Then try to re-imagine the scene from your minds eye and stay there awhile, see what else might be there. Ten minutes of memory-induced euphoria.

This is a winner. Tastes delicious on toasted bread with a slice of melting mozzarella. KP came up with this pairing, and made the dip one night when I was slammed with work. I brought it to work in glass jars and sustained all kinds of horrid reactions, “Is that baby food? Is that vomit? What is thaaaat?”

Delicious. That’s what this is. Sorry it looks like vomit in my picture.

Coconut-Curried Red Lentil Dip

Adapted from Food and Wine

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped carrot

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 ounces red lentils, picked over

2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

One 15-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

Hot sauce, chips and crudités, for serving, or put on toast with mozzarella!

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery and a pinch of salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, garam masala, cumin and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the lentils, chicken stock and coconut milk to the saucepan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Cover and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until the lentils have cooked down to a thickened puree, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely, then season with salt.

Happy meditating.