Fiery East African Vegetable Stew Recipe By : Red Hot and Green, by Janet Hazen Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :1:30 Categories : Main Dishes Soups/Stews Spicy Foods Vegetarian Dishes Healthy Recipes Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 large onion -- diced 4 cloves garlic -- finely chopped 2 bird's eye or serrano peppers -- stemmed and sliced 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper -- to taste 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon coriander 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 4 tablespoons ghee, clarified unsalted butter or oil 2 cups tomatoes, seeded -- peeled & chopped 3/4 cup lentils -- washed 6 cups vegetable stock, unsalted 2 red potatoes -- diced 1/2-inch 1 large carrot -- 1/2-inch pieces 2 cups collard greens -- 1/4-inch strips salt and pepper -- to taste 3 eggs, hard-boiled -- halved for garnish 1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, cook the onion, garlic, chili peppers, cayenne, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cloves in the ghee over moderate heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently. 2. Add the tomatoes, lentils and vegetable stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer 30 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender. 3. Add the carrots and collard greens and cook 12 to 15 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Serving Ideas : Serve hot, garnished with hard-boiled eggs NOTES : The original recipe called for 1.5 TABLESPOONS of cayenne pepper and 4 chilis, which raises the heat level of this dish far beyond what most reasonable humans can take. 1/2 teaspoon plus the 2 chilis is about as hot as I like it. Obviously, people preferring more or less hot food should adjust accordingly, as this still makes for a fairly spicy dish. Knock out the serranos, if you'd like to more accurately control the heat at the table.