National Lentil Festival

So last night was the start of the Lentil Festival in Pullman! It was so much fun. I met up with a couple of people from the institute and we walked down to the festival. There were so many people! There were booths and mascots and an insane amount of opportunities for people watching!

Their main claim to fame is their Lentil Chili. It is delicious! Last year they made 350 gallons! This year they had a bowl that could hold 650 gallons! Thats a lot of chili..YUM!

Here is the GIANT bowl

Here is a close up of the delectable chili

After we saw the sights of the festival we went back to the institute and hung out and played ping pong.
 
I've included the directions in case you'd like to try it (Disclaimer: I don't know how much this recipe yields):

World’s Largest Bowl of Lentil Chili

Submitted By: National Lentil Festival

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INGREDIENTS
Lentils: 2 2/3 Cups
Water: 3 Quarts + 1 Cup
Onions, diced: 2/3 Cup
Celery, diced: 1/3 Cup
Carrots, diced: 1/3 Cup
Tomato puree: 17 Oz.
Pace brand salsa: 1 Cups + 1 Tablespoon
Chili powder, mild: 2 Tablespoon
Cumin: 1 Tablespoon
Granulated garlic: 1 Tablespoon
Granulated sugar: 2 Tablespoons
Kosher salt: 1 1/2 Tablespoons
Crushed red chili flakes: 1/2 Teaspoon
2/3 Cup water and 1/4 Cup cornstarch, stirred into a slurry
Cinnamon: 1/2 Teaspoon
Chopped cilantro: 1 Tablespoon
Mexican chocolate: 2 oz.
Green bell pepper, diced: 1/3 Cup
Red bell pepper, diced: 1/3 Cup

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DIRECTIONS
1. DO NOT INCLUDE CILANTRO OR CORNSTARCH SLURRY AT THIS TIME. Mix all ingredients together (EXCEPT cilantro and cornstarch slurry), bring to a boil, stir and cook (will take a couple of hours) until lentils are tender.
2. When the lentils are tender and the broth is well blended, add the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking until the chili consistency is very uniform.
3. Just before serving: add the cilantro, stir, serve.