Mshosh, Lentils and Dried Fruit from Lena Tashjian

Ever since my copy of Lena Tashjian’s ‘The Vegan Armenian Kitchen Cookbook’ arrived last week, I’ve been carefully studying every recipe. I already make a number of her dishes which are so gloriously depicted by photographer Siroon Parseghian.

For this post, I chose a dish I hadn’t made before – Mshosh – which combines lentils, dried fruit, and nuts – all ingredients I had on-hand. This takes very little time or skill to prepare and the end result is earthy, nutty, slightly sweet, and definitely hearty!

The name ‘Mshosh’ comes from one of its main ingredients – a specific variety of wild apricot. Traditionally, the apricots would be left whole, but Lena prefers them chopped ‘to ensure a sweet taste in every bite!’

Lena also points out that variations of this recipe might use pumpkin, green beans, or beets instead of apricots, but the apricot version is the most popular.