It is one of the ideal spoon dishes during the colder months. However, it is interesting that legumes such as lentils are present in our diet throughout the year; Therefore, if you want to know how to make lentils and some of the recipes that can be prepared with them, you are interested in reading on.
- You can also try: How to make crepes at home in 3 easy steps
Nutritive properties of lentils
Lentils are one of the most consumed varieties of legumes, along with chickpeas, beans or broad beans. Due to their ease of preparation (they can be boiled or cooked), lentils are cooked in succulent recipes that have stood the test of time.
Before teaching you how to make lentils, we will detail the benefits of this legume that many hate, to see if they decide to try them.
1. They contain a lot of fiber
Constipation problems can be solved with a good plate of lentils, as they facilitate intestinal transit and thus prevent constipation , purifying the body of toxins that may be accumulated.
2. Rich in vitamins
Of all the vitamins that lentils contain (type A, B1,2, 3, 6 and E), lentils are a perfect food that prevents the appearance of degenerative diseases typical of aging.
3. Promote cardiovascular health
Its high fiber content makes lentils a good food when it comes to improving the health of our heart, because together with polyunsaturated fatty acids, they reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood and thus increase the heart health.
4. A high source of iron
Those who suffer from anemia or follow a vegetarian or vegan diet(often interrelated factors), you should know that by eating lentils you will be supplying your body with this much-needed mineral.
Those people with iron deficiency in the blood due to natural causes, must also maintain the consumption of lentils within their usual diet. Likewise, iron is a very necessary nutrient if you are going to carry out a physical activity that requires a lot of energy, which is why athletes are more interested than anyone in signing up for some of the following recipes on how to make lentils.
How to make lentils in 4 simple recipes
Although everyone thinks of the typical lentil dish for a cold day, there are other recipes that will allow us to give it a different touch that is far from what is so seen.
By the way, this legume is found in a wide variety of colors (brown, red, green or yellow), so any of these is suitable for the following dishes. Always depending on the diners, we will take into account that the measures of each ingredient will vary.
1. Lentils with rice
For this simple recipe with lentils, we do not need more than the following ingredients:
- dried lentils
- a cup of rice
- Virgin olive oil (tablespoon and a half or two)
- 1 onion
- 1 she
- 1 large or 3 small zanahoria
- 1 potato (optional)
- salt and seasoning
There is hardly any secret in how to make lentils with rice:
1. This procedure requires heating the oil in a medium size pot. 2. Once the onion and carrot are chopped, we throw them to fry. We will know when they are ready when they soften . At the same time, fry the garlic for a maximum of one minute.
3. With regard to legumes, they must be soaked for at least 4 hours before preparing the dish. Once they are ready, we rinse them and drain them so that they lose all the accumulated water
. 4. Boil the rice, making sure that it does not go beyond its cooking point.
5. As soon as it is ready, we mix it with the lentils according to the amount of cereal we want.
This easy stew contains, in addition to the properties of the lentils, a significant amount of protein provided by the rice, which we also find in other cereals.
2. Cold lentil salad
It was not a bluff when we commented above that we would show you how to make lentils for the hottest months. If you feel like refreshing yourself, a lentil salad is a very good alternative , as well as being healthy.
What do you need
Actually there is no recipe to make lentils with this stipulated technique, so creativity is the order of the day. We recommend:
- Lentils
- Olive oil
- canned corn
- Onion
- Ham (optional)
- capers
- Avocado
- Vegetables: tomato, bell pepper, cucumber (optional)
- Rice (also optional)
1. As in the previous case, first you have to cook the lentils in water for a few hours (remember, at least 4, but if we reach 5, nothing happens either).
2. While they are in the process of softening, we can cut the onion into small pieces to poach it, just like the vegetables, in case we decide to add them to the platter.
3. Whether we have put vegetables or not, cooked or raw, once everything is ready, we bathe it with olive oil (with a tablespoon and a half more than enough) and add what is missing.
The point in favor of this recipe with lentils is that it can be kept in the fridge for a few days , for when the heat tightens.
3. Stewed lentils
This is the traditional way that has been maintained to this day on how to make lentils.
What ingredients will we put
- Lentils
- Olive oil
- Onion
- 1 bay leaf
- Carrot
- Chorizo
- Pepper
- Tomato
1. We wash the lentils and boil them, as we have seen before, until they soften.
2. At the same time, we cut small pieces of onion, carrot and green pepper; that we will put in boiling oil to fry in a medium-sized pot. The tomato will go a little later, so that it does not spend more than five minutes on the fire and burn.
3. It is time to add the lentils to the mixture, which will be very well seasoned with the bay leaf. Mix everything well with a wooden spoon or a ladle and let it rest for at least 3 minutes.
4. We can add cold water, also adding salt, and leave everything resting so that the flavor is enhanced.
4. Lentils with squid
Although at first they are attributed to more rural environments, we can also learn how to make lentils with seafood, such as squid or baby squid.
- Oil
- Garlic, onion, pepper or tomato (for the sauce)
- Lentils
- Squid or baby squid
- Container to collect the lentil broth
1. We must fry the garlic or onion with which we want to make the preparation in very hot oil.
2. When the lentils are already boiled, we leave them to drain, while we collect the broth in a container, since we will use it later. Once drained, we mix them with the sofrito.
3. On the other hand, we chop (into rings or small pieces) the squid, to proceed to throw them into the lentils and fry them too.
4. Finally, pour the drained liquid from the lentils to enhance the flavor of the dish.
