AI-generated image
Mshosh
Mshosh: Van-style lentils and dried apricots with onion and walnuts
Mshosh comes from Van, the old Armenian city on the lake of the same name in eastern Anatolia, and travelled to Yerevan and the diaspora with the families who left in 1915. Brown lentils are cooked with chopped dried apricots and plenty of onion fried in oil, then finished with walnuts and served cold, a sweet-sour, earthy Lenten dish eaten with lavash and herbs. A common mistake is cooking the lentils too soft before the apricots go in, which makes a mush. Chef's tip: let mshosh rest overnight; the apricots soften into the lentils and the flavours deepen.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the mshosh
- 9 oz brown or green lentilsrinsed
- 3 ¾ cups water
- 5 ½ oz dried apricotschopped
- 5 tbsp sunflower oil
- 3 onionsfinely chopped
- 2 ⅛ oz walnutschopped
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Simmer 9 oz brown or green lentils in 3 ¾ cups water for 20 minutes, until just tender but holding their shape.
20 minStep 2: Add 5 ½ oz dried apricots and simmer for 10 minutes more, until most of the water is absorbed and the apricots are soft. Common mistake: overcooking the lentils first; it turns to mush.
10 minStep 3: Meanwhile warm 5 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry 3 onions for 15 minutes, until deep golden. Stir in ½ tsp sweet paprika.
15 minStep 4: Mix the onions, 2 ⅛ oz walnuts, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper into the lentils and cook for 2 minutes.
2 minStep 5: Cool and serve cold or at room temperature with lavash.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mshosh take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of walnuts?
- Pecans or chocolate chips, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sayur lodeh
Sayur lodeh is everyday cooking in Central Java, made in big pots in Solo and Semarang kitchens and ladled over rice, with lontong rice cakes at Lebaran, or alongside opor and sambal goreng on festive tables. It's soupy rather than thick: a fragrant broth of coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass and lime leaf that carries chunks of aubergine, long beans, chayote and sweetcorn, plus tempeh and tofu to make it a meal. The flavour is mellow and slightly sweet, so the heat comes from sambal on the side. Chef's tip: keep the pot at a gentle simmer once the coconut milk goes in and stir now and then — a rolling boil splits the coconut milk into oily curds.
Indonesian
Polos curry
Polos is the tiny unripe jackfruit picked in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces long before it sweetens, and cooked low and slow it becomes one of the island's most loved festival curries, especially at Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April and at wedding lunches. The firm, pale flesh soaks up a very dark roasted curry powder, garlic, ginger, goraka (a smoky souring fruit) and coconut milk until it turns almost black-brown and tastes rich, sour and meaty. Fresh polos is hard to find abroad; tinned young green jackfruit in brine works well. A frequent mistake is not cooking it long enough, which leaves it squeaky; the pieces must be soft enough to break with a spoon. Chef's tip: oil your hands and knife before cutting fresh jackfruit; the sticky white sap washes off oiled skin but not dry skin.
Sri Lankan
Bagara baingan
Bagara baingan is a Hyderabadi wedding dish of small aubergines cooked whole in a dark, tangy gravy of roasted peanuts, sesame, dried coconut and tamarind. Unlike a Gujarati stuffed brinjal, the aubergines here are only quartered at the base and fried until silky, then left to soak up a thin-but-rich sauce that is finished with a tempering, the 'baghar' that gives the dish its name. It's sour, nutty and gently spiced, and is served with biryani, bagara rice or plain rice. Chef's tip: choose small, glossy purple aubergines that feel heavy for their size; soft, light ones are full of seeds and turn mushy before the gravy has a chance to cling.
Indian