Your Best Lentils

The main ingredients: French lentils, jasmine rice, butter, coriander, fresh mint, onion, lemon, yogurt, cinnamon, cumin and aleppo pepper.

The lentils look like tiny little gems.

Rivka has you simmer them in salted water just until tender -- about 20 minutes.

When you need 6 cups of sliced onions, it's nice to have a friend.

A butter lake.

In go the onions to slowly caramelize.

The final step: add a last tablespoon of olive oil and crank the heat so some of the onions get really crispy and dark.

The lentils don't swell that much when cooked -- they're almost as pretty this way!

Amanda adds cooked jasmine rice to the lentils and onions.

The final touch: a dollop of spiced yogurt with mint and lemon.

Reporting for duty: red lentils, onion, coconut milk, ginger, cilantro, sweet potato chips (for dipping, of course!), turmeric, garlic, garam masala, cinnamon, cumin, red pepper and bay leaves.

First, the lentils need a good rinse and a drain.

Amanda wrestles with ginger while Merrill opens a can -- tough job.

After you put the can of coconut milk in the freezer for 20 minutes, the coconut butter hardens and rises to the top; you can then skim it off easily.

Recipe consultation!

Onions, garlic and ginger softened in some of the coconut butter.

In go the drained lentils!

Amanda very cheerfully adds coconut milk, water and chicken broth to the lentils.

After about 20 minutes, the dip looks like this -- the lentils have all broken down.

For the hot spice oil: bay, garam masala, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon and red pepper.

We watched them carefully: if they sit too long in the hot oil, the spices will burn.

Into the dip!