Maybe you are used to eating lentils with small vegetables and Strasbourg sausages or in the form of salads and even soups? But how do you cook lentils successfully?
You will enjoy cooking lentils! Credit: shutterstock
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The benefits of lentils
In search of healthy cuisine, here is a path to follow! Lentils are a dry food that is usually cooked in water. There are several types of these legumes: green lentils, brown lentils and coral lentils. The former are ideal for a sausage dish, while the latter are better for making Dahl, and the latter are appreciated cold in salads. You will also see that they take less time to cook than the others. One thing is for sure, they come in several recipes!
Rich in iron, they are the delight of meatless and healthy diets. It is a good option to diversify the pleasures and a good substitute to replace animal meat, such as white or red beans, even chickpeas. It is also recommended to combine lentils with rice to absorb them better and have protein intake most importantly. They also contain fiber that allows for better transit and reduces the risk of colon cancer. It also contains phosphorus, calcium and magnesium and is a very good antioxidant. It also turns out to be a lens an excellent appetite suppressant if you feel like snacking often. It is recommended to eat them in the evening.
To preserve all their qualities, it is better to know how to prepare them. They are appreciated in soup, in salads, as a side dish to meat or in a savory dish for the classics. If these recipes inspire you, find out how to become a lentil expert by following the guide. You’ll never go wrong again if you cook them according to their colors!
Let yourself be tempted by this delicious version of red lentil velouté. Recipe here. Image credit: Kiyan Oksana
Soak the lentils in water
Little seeds and some more seeds! It’s all in the art and management of cooking the legumes to preserve their flavor and their nutritional quality. Start by soaking the lentils in a pot of cold water three times their volume to prevent burning. For 1 person we recommend 70 g serving of lentils. The important thing is to have enough water to cook the lentils.
Avoid adding salt, it will make the texture tougher. Feel free to flavor your pan with bay leaves, garlic or onion skins or even pieces of vegetables. Spices also add a lot of flavor. Heat the pan until boiling for 25 minutes the green lentils, 35 minutes for brown lentils and finally quarter of an hour for the coral lens (more express!). Put a lid on, so you will create steam that is very useful for this kitchen and watch the lentils cook. Stir the ingredients with a spoon to prevent these legumes from sticking.
Butternut Soup – Image credit: shutterstock
Alternatively, warm up with this Walnut and Coral Lentil Soup. Recipe here.
Lentils can be cooked in a pressure cooker
If you want to save time, this is a good technique. In addition, you can make more complete meals without watching the cooking all the time. For example, you can heat green lentils in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes with Strasbourg sausages, not forgetting to add their volume of water once. Add the flavorings of your preference and let the billet soak. Your kitchen should have a pleasant smell to whet your appetite.
As for blond lenses, 20 minutes is enough to improve them. Let the ingredients cool or enjoy them hot with a pan of dobro. Both in summer and winter they will be able to fill you up!
For Coral lenswe recommend you cook them for no more than 5 minutes or they will become softer. These dry ingredients go great with coconut milk, curry and diced carrots. Be generous with the lentils!
Green Lentils with Beetroot – Image credit: shutterstock
Thanks to the pressure cooker, prepare green lentils with beets, carrots and feta. Recipe here.
Pressure Cooker for Lentils
Again, if you don’t want to spend time behind the stove, a pressure cooker can save the day. don’t forget to mash the legumes in clean water before cooking them. Then soak in 1.5 times their volume of water and choose your herbs according to your recipe, not forgetting the vegetables and/or meat according to your preferences. Add a pinch of salt only once to your plate. Bring to a simmer and wait for the hiss.
– 15 minutes in the casserole for green lentils
– 20 minutes for brown lentils
– 5 minutes only for coral lenswith thinner skin.
The casserole method is faster and therefore more energy efficient. You also retain all the vitamins (especially vitamin C!) and minerals from your food.
Lentil Sausages – Image credit: shutterstock.
The classic sausage-lentil, which we cook with a pressure cooker! Recipe here.
Fried lentils
How to cook lentils in a thousand and one ways? Here’s a news. You can prepare them in a pot of water and finish cooking the lentils pan with a generous a drizzle of olive oil. They will have a slightly smokier flavor and you can add fresh cream or coconut milk to further your recipe.
Tuna Lentils – Image credit: shutterstock.
Dare lentils with tuna and avocado, another mouth-watering appetizer! Recipe here.
Try steaming the lentils
A steamer can be an ideal solution for this type of cooking because it is very easy and better for your health. Pour a large portion of wateradd the beans directly to the bowl and leave heat for 1 hour. Watch during this time as the water can evaporate very well.
The choice of a steam cooking is interesting because it is much healthier and preserves all the nutrients, especially vitamins. This cooking of lentils is good for your diet and you will discover all the natural flavor of lentils, even if on the contrary it takes longer to cook them. Choose your recipe and get started! How about a soup?
Green Lentil Salad – Image Credit: shutterstock.
Refresh yourself with green lentil salad! Recipe here.
Seasonings for lentils
To make your lentils more delicious, there’s nothing better than a good seasoning, but how do you do it? Rather boring in nature, these dry foods need to be clarified. The largest community of vegetarians is in India. They are big users of these fondant seeds and they don’t skimp spices : turmeric, coriander, pepper or cilantro are the great favorites of their cuisine. They highlight these dried vegetables especially in dal, a famous dish in their culture.
French gastronomy likes to add a few cloves with lentils to combine with different ingredients. You can also soak bay leaves. In salads, we aim for vinaigrette, lemon juice mixed with olive oil or hazelnut oil with a spoon to sublimate legumes and combine sweet foods like pomegranate seeds. We also like to highlight lentils with uhomemade tomato saucen, which you add only at the end of cooking. Blend the lentils to make a good soup.
It is best to add salt only during tasting. They also do not need to be placed vegetable or chicken broth, too salty. It can affect the quality of green, brown or coral lentils. You have enough to offer several options of lentil dishes, it’s time to cook!
Lentil based dish – Image credit: shutterstock.
Take the opportunity to discover the coral lentil soup with lemon. Recipe here.
Your lentils are cooked
How do you know if your lentils are cooked? To be sure of cooking pulses, check their texture. Indeed, these legumes soften and can be crushed with a spoon until they melt on your palate. Feel free to sample regularly a spoonful of lentils when they are still burning, you will be able to know in real time if they are ready. If they are overcooked, don’t panic! You can turn them into porridge or soup.
In short, there are different ways to take care of cooking legumes and sublimate them in recipes of different versions. Bring a pot or pan! To go further, there is also lentil paste where you can load up on protein. Paste version, green version, blonde version, coral versionThere really is something for everyone! Now that you know how to stew them, you will have no excuse to cook lentils and bring a new dish to your table!
Idea for an original and healthy dish based on lentils – Image credit: Healthy bowl of lentil salad / Shutterstock
For your desire for lightness, try the lemon lentil salad, a tempting version. Recipe here.