Spiced Rice, Sweet Freedom: A Senegalese-Inspired Solo Supper
by Jarvus Ricardo Hester, Editor-in-Chief, Mood Magazine NYC
I didn’t grow up eating lentils.
But I did grow up with women who made healing taste like something you could survive on.
Big pots. Deep flavor. Not a measuring spoon in sight.
That’s what I wanted this dish to feel like.
Not just nourishing—but ancestral.
Not just healthy—but soulful.
So I went to my kitchen one quiet night, craving comfort without complication. I thought about the warmth of jollof. The richness of coconut. The softness of sweet plantains. And I made a meal that tasted like freedom.
A solo supper.
Just for me.
THE RECIPE: Sweet-Spiced Coconut Rice with Ginger Lentils & Roasted Plantains
Serves 1
Ingredients:
– 1/2 cup jasmine or basmati rice
– 1/4 cup dry red lentils
– 1/2 cup coconut milk
– 1/2 tsp ground ginger
– 1/4 tsp cinnamon
– Pinch of nutmeg
– 1/2 clove garlic, minced
– 1/2 small shallot, sliced
– 1 tsp olive oil or coconut oil
– 1 ripe plantain, peeled and sliced
– Salt and black pepper to taste
– Optional: chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss plantain slices with a little oil, salt, and cinnamon. Roast for 15–20 minutes until golden.
- In a small pot, sauté garlic and shallot in oil for 2–3 minutes. Add rice and toast lightly.
- Add coconut milk, a splash of water, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lentils. Stir.
- Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on low for 18–20 minutes until rice and lentils are tender.
- Fluff with fork. Plate gently. Add plantains on the side. Garnish if you’re feeling fancy.
THE RITUAL: Make It Sacred
Before you eat, take a breath.
Light a candle.
Say a prayer or a thank-you to every ancestor who survived enough to make you possible.
Put on music that moves you. A Fatu Gayflor track. A Nina Simone deep cut. Or silence. That counts too.
Then eat slowly.
Let it fill your mouth. Let it remind you—you are home in your body.
THE MEDITATION: Sweetness Is Still Available
“I am allowed to feed myself beauty.
Even in grief. Even in solitude.
Especially in solitude.”
This is just one recipe from my upcoming solo living cookbook:
Single in the City: Rice, Beans & Lentils
Rooted in flavor. Designed for one.
Because loving yourself isn’t just emotional. It’s edible.
—
Jarvus Ricardo Hester
Editor-in-Chief, Mood Magazine NYC
Author, Single in the City: Rice, Beans & Lentils
