How to cook Lentils

Do you want to eat yummy lentils? You dont know how to cook lentils at home? Try these easy steps to make them. You can make different types of lentil recipes at home like professionals. Enjoy them in stews, soups, curries, salads, with vegetables, meats, rice, or whatever your favorite side dish. In the following article, we get to know about How to cook Lentils? So please don’t skip the article from anywhere and read it carefully because it will be very useful for all of you guys.

When we think about the cooking of lentils, it takes us to the history of our grandmother cooking it in the kitchen, and its aroma spread all over the home. Everyone is already present at the dining table while waiting for delicious lentils. So, here we have a traditional recipe for your lentils, but before you start preparing it, take a look at the lentil’s benefits so that you can realize how it is essential for your body to fulfill needs.

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Lentils and their benefits

The small beans and grain legumes are known as lentils. These are pulses that are grown in the pods. The lentils are generally available in the market in dried form, so these are called pulses, and these are harvested to obtain seeds. Lentils are tiny little lens-shaped seeds and come in many different colors like red, brown, green, and black. These are hard grains that can’t eat uncooked and soaked, but they become soft and delicious after cooking.

When lentils combine with other cereals like brown rice, they get the nutrients as same as present in meat.
Lentils contain fibers that help move the waste in the digestion system and help eliminate it from the body and thus preventing constipation.
Essential vitamins and minerals like Calcium, Iron, Potassium, and Folate, etc., are present.
Lentils are a good heart choice that maintains our blood pressure and cholesterol level.
Lentils provide a large amount of folate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise women to consume lentils during childbearing, pregnancy and breastfeeding to get folate.
Lentils also provide us with selenium that may help reduce rates of colorectal, prostate, lung, bladder, skin, esophageal, and gastric cancers.
Nonheme iron is the primary form of iron for our body in fish, meat, and lentils. So, if you are a vegetarian or for other reasons, you can’t consume meat and fish, so you can absorb nonheme iron by lentils to fulfill body needs.
Lentils also contain special fibers that help maintain the insulin level in the body and prevent the risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

Types of lentils

Brown lentils:

The brown lentils have a slightly earthy taste, are firm, and maintain their shape well but become mashy or massy when overcooked. Thes are the cheapest and soften the most upon cooking. Make good combos with gravies, soups, stews, and curries.

Green lentils:

Green lentils have a unique crunchy taste like nuts that make good combos with salads, sandwiches, etc. They stay firm when cooked.

Red lentils:

Red lentils have a mild taste. Red lentils are famous in Asia and have different names like “masoor.” They are great for preparing dals and purees and soft when cooked. Also suitable for preparing broths.

Quality and selection of lentils for cooking

Lentils are a classic in every house, and I am sure that there is a different way of preparing them. Still, before preparing those lentils, you have to take the excellent quality lentils that include the following properties:

The selection of lentils is effortless. You just check the manufacture date of lentils on the packet. More these are recent more they are fresh thus more delicious and perfect they cook.

Check the shape of lentils; all beans have the same and original shape. These are not broken or damaged and maintain their original condition.

When you soak them in water, all beans should rest in the bottom if dont. So these are internally damaged, Hollowed, or eaten by the insects. So dont waste your time cooking these types of lentils.

More new quality lentils more easily soften while cooking.

There are different types of lentils in the market, like ready to prepare, tin-packed lentils, but these are more expensive than ordinary ones. So I suggest you purchase it.

The lentils are the most versatile and easy to cook legumes that find in every dish. A source of protein, but it is accessible for all pockets. So let’s start preparing lentils.

Washing and soaking of lentils

Washed the lentils well to eliminate all the dust and little sandy stones. Keep rinsing the lentils until you get clear water.

Then it’s good to soak the beans in water to become softer. If you are going to prepare them for lunch, wash them in the morning.

You can soak them overnight or for 4-5 hours.

Try to soak them in hot water to become softer in less time and get ready for cooking.

When you soak them in water, it absorbs water and increase in size.

Ingredients:

400 grams of lentils
1 cup of oil
3 garlic cloves
1 liter of water
2 bay leaves
1 tomato
1 onion
100g of lean bacon
Salt and pepper
Cumin
Fresh coriander leaves.

Preparation

Peel the garlic cloves, cut the tomato, and peel the onion into four pieces.

Drain the lentils’ water, move them into a large pot with warm water, and cover the pot on medium flame.

Now start adding garlic cloves, bay leaves, tomato and onion pieces, bacon pieces, and oil in the pot, season with salt, pepper, and cumin.

Let them cook slowly for about 3 hours or until all the water evaporates.

After that, remove the bay leaves and tomato peels and cook for 5 minutes on a medium-high flame while stirring.

Turn off the love and garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with a boiled potato or with cooked rice. Enjoy!!!

How to prepare lentil soup

Ingredients:

Water
Oil
250 g of lentils
1 onion
3 carrots
Celery
1 tablespoon of cumin and 1 of sweet paprika
1 bay leaf
4 cloves of garlic
Pepper and salt

Preparation

Start by peeling and slicing the carrots in small cubes, then chop the onion, peel the celery stem skin, cut it into small slices, and mince the garlic.

Now put the pot on high flame with olive oil, add carrots, onion, and celery, and cook until the onion is golden.

Then add garlic, sweet paprika, cumin, and bay leaves to cook for 2 minutes.

Now add lentils and water to the pot. Use a little more water that can cover the lentils perfectly.

Stir it well and cover the pot and leave it to cook.

Bring the soup to a boil. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat and cook for 60 minutes or until the lentils become soft and juicy.

Add more water if needed.

Sprinkle salt and pepper according to your taste.

You can also add chili sauce and soy sauce before serving.

Tip:

He lentils are very healthy and give us enough energy to perform our daily tasks, but dont consume them daily in large quantities contain strong fiber that is not easy to break down daily for our body.