Lentil Stew
Simple Recipes Fasting Recipes Vegetables Vegetable Dishes
For this recipe, I chose dark green lentils (also called Le Puy lentils) because they hold their shape very well when cooking, unlike other types of lentils that break down more or less during cooking (brown lentils fall apart the most). Of course, you can use whatever type of lentils you have available, but keep in mind that cooking times vary (the ones I used have the longest cooking time). The appearance will also be different, not just in color but also in texture. If you use brown or orange lentils that break down easily, you'll get a sort of lentil cream.
I also have something new in this recipe - a spice I hadn't used before: Garam Masala, a spice blend from India made by mixing several flavors. You can find it in health food stores and specialty shops.
For this stew, I was inspired by a recipe presented by Dr. Ramona Vuza at one of the culinary demonstrations frequently held at the Casa Bio store.
Ingredients
250g dried lentils (green)
1 large onion
1 tomato
1 carrot
4 cloves garlic
1 1/2 level teaspoons salt (or to taste)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Spice Blend
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 level teaspoon Garam Masala
1 level teaspoon turmeric
3 heaping teaspoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 long pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Servings: 4-5
How to prepare lentil stew
- Put all the spices in a spice grinder or coffee grinder and blend. You'll get about 3 tablespoons of aromatic spice blend. For this recipe, we'll only use 1 1/2 tablespoons of the blend - save the rest for other dishes or another batch of lentil stew.
- Sauté the finely chopped onion in hot oil. When softened, add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the lentils, finely chopped tomato, thickly sliced carrot rounds, and 4 cups of water. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the spice blend prepared above. Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium-low heat for about 30-40 minutes (depending on how dry the lentils are). After about 20 minutes of cooking, add the salt. At the end, the water will be absorbed, leaving just a little sauce on the lentils.
Green lentils
Spices in the coffee grinder
Spice blend for the stew
Lentil Stew
