Red lentil recipe

Scanning body, food and a curry recipe:

The flatbed scanner is a portable night to me; a scanned image sometimes gives a strange feeling, like seeing an unknown form at night, maybe a fear or something; it gives the feeling of seeing an unfamiliar landscape at night. When I first scanned my hand and moved it while scanning, the image I felt a hand I had never seen before, like watching a ghost for the first time. I am scanning my body and daily life with fruit, vegetables, and cooked food.

While writing, I thought about how art can give a sense of food, and after that, I felt that my text and I were hungry; we needed food. I am sharing a recipe I cooked the day before yesterday. Cooking is an essential part of life, and exciting household activities make me wait to see the end, which is a part of my ongoing project. While I cook, I not only cook but also think about other things; I am sharing a curry recipe I cooked the day before yesterday, a Red lentil recipe.

Ingredients:

Red lentils: 125-150 grams, Yellow split Mung (Moong) Dal (Without Skin): 50 gms (optional, which can add flavour), Garlic: 5-6 medium cloves, Onion: 1/2 medium pieces (julienne cut), Green Chilli: 2-3 pieces, Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon, Cumin seeds: 1/2 teaspoon, Black cumin seeds: 1/4 teaspoon, Coriander powder: 1/3 teaspoon (optional), Salt: As per your preference (I use 1/2 teaspoon), Oil: Any oil (4 teaspoons), Butter: 2 teaspoons, Green vegetables: yard short/long beans (I use different green vegetables; yard beans were 150-200 grams in today's recipe), Carrots: 2 medium pieces (optional), Spinach: (if available, and if desired) 100-200 grams, Tomato: 1 piece (sliced), Hot water: 250-350 grams (thickness depends on water variation, so you can use water based on how thick you want), Saucepan/saute pan/soup pan/saucier: 2 tablespoons.

Cooking:

Take red lentils and yellow split mung dal in a cooking pot. Add chopped garlic, onion (around three-fourths of the chopped portion), green chillies, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, coriander powder (if available), oil, and half of your desired amount of salt. Stir with a spoon for 1 minute. This movement helps in cooking and creates a relationship between the ingredients and your body. However, you can skip the stirring. Add hot water and cook covered on high heat for 7-8 minutes.

Adding vegetables:

1. Add vegetables like yard short/long beans and carrots (if available), but do not add Spinach and tomatoes at this point.

2. Add the rest of your salt.

3. Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes.

4. Add Spinach (optional) and tomatoes and cover for 2 minutes.

5. Cover it for approximately three minutes. You can use these three minutes to ready your finishing tasks.

Finishing Task:

Heat the second pot and add butter. Add black cumin seeds to the butter in the hot pot. You should see a chemical reaction that subsides within a minute after adding the rest of the onion. The onions will change colour in 30 seconds; then, switch off the stove. Add this pot mixture to your cooked dal. Cover the dish as usual and open it when ready to serve.