Locro de Lentejas revisited

We made this recipe, which came from Fatima, in the first class.

We had a few minor glitches, but it came out OK.

I was motivated however to do it again and specifically also to use my Forever pan Pro, which is made with Titanium for the dry roast of the panchpuran and the onions, etc. and that worked very well - see pics.

Browning the onions, in the forever pan, while gradually adding some water with Yondu.

I also put in 2 celery stalks sliced thin and a grated carrot.

And then all the spices before transferring it to the soup pot. Then I added the broth.

The cabbage is added on the right.

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Recipe: ================================
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Locro de Lentejas (Ecuador)

Lentil soup with Cabbage

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Ingredients

1 tsp panchpuran

one small green or savoy cabbage, quartered and sliced in 1/4" strips

1 white onion cut up in small pieces,

2-3 large red onions, sliced thin

1-3 serrrano peppers - to taste

2-3 jalapeño peppers, sliced thin (without seeds)

1 cup water with 1 tsp Yondu

6 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped fine.

1-2 king mushroom cut in strips, or other mushrooms

2 celery stalks

1 shredded carrot

1 tbsp tienjin vegetables (optional)

1 teaspoon of savory

1 teaspoon of tarragon

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp thyme

5 bay leaves

2 pints of low sodium vegetable stock

1 lb whole lentils

1 lb young potatoes (the kind with the thin skin, either yukon gold or redskin), quartered or smaller, depending on the size and personal preference

1 cup of barley (I consider this optional, if you want more "substance," than soup)

2-3 pints of water

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

Braggs Liquid Aminos, to taste, alternatively gochujang, or better than bouillon veggie bouillon

If using miso instead dissolve one heaping tablespoon of miso paste in water and add at the end and use less liquid aminos - never cook the miso.

Directions

Dry roast the panchpuran just enough to release the flavor.

Dry fry the onions with the peppers, panchpuran and the king mushroom over a low flame for about 5 minutes until they get soft and start to brown. Add the cup of water with Yondu during this process, so it does not stick to the pan.

Once the onions are sufficiently caramelized, add garlic, the vegetable stock and the herbs, the lentils and the potatoes (with about a 15-20 minute delay). Let cook for another 10-15 minutes, and add the cabbage.

Let it simmer for 30-60 mins. until the cabbage is soft.

At the end, add some miso, dissolved in water and some chopped cilantro. If you want it spicier, you can use gonchujang instead.

(Notes:

1) Some people would peel the potatoes, but if you buy thin-skinned potatoes, you can easily cook them in the skin, even cut-up: you lose less nutrition that way.

2) Evidently, you can vary the herbs and spices to taste.

3) Don't boil the miso, or gonchujang, just dissolve in hot water and add at the end.

4) I like to make it spicy, but the traditional Ecuadorian way is mild.

Strawberry's - a Treasure Trove of Mexican Herbs and Spices

 My core shopping area relative to my own apartment and also for the cooking classes at St. Helena's is what I call the Starling Avenue Triangle, which is formed by three supermarkets,

1. Chang - Li on Benedict Avenue, across the street from St. Helena's.
2. Key Foods on Unionport Avenue
3. And what used to be Pioneer, but it is now SuperFresh at 1345 Castle Hill Avenue.

In between lies a Mecca for food shopping with the whole range of South Asian flavors, mostly Bangladeshi, with some Indian thrown in for good measure.

Some of the outliers are a WestIndian store by Castle Hill Station, and an African Store, as well as another Bangladeshi supermarket on Castle Hill Avenue, and then two Mexican stores that are a bit further out:

1. Frutas Y Vegetales La Reyna at 1300/1302 Beach Avenue, Corner Westchester Avenue
2. Strawberry Farm, at 2403A Westchester Ave, between Zerega Avenue and Rowland Street, which is not exclusively Mexican, but they have a veritable  treasuire trove of Mexican herbs and spices. Recommended!

I leave just the photographic evidence here:

They had three kinds of Mexican Oregano, just leaves in two forms, or with the stems, to make tea when you have a cold or the flu.