Ideas to Flavour Lentils

[Markxxx]

They had a sale on lentils, and I love lentil soup so I bought a big bag.

OK so for two days I've made a nice pot of lentils for dinner and flavoured them with onions and some ham.

Now I'm bored with that :)

Any other ideas what goes good in lentil. I'm not looking for a fancy recipe as I'm not much of a cook. Basically I'm looking for "what else can I dump into a bunch of lentils while they're cooking to give them some flavour"

:)

[Kimstu]

An Indian-style dal or curryish kind of lentil stew is absolutely yummy. Curry spices according to your preference, but especially turmeric and cumin, and a nice lump of butter towards the end of cooking, with some lemon juice, and fresh cilantro if you're not a cilantro-hater.

Mmmmm. I may have to go and make this myself this evening.

[Larry Mudd]

Sauteéd onions, garam masala, and tomato juice -- lazy man's dal masala.

[Fear Itself]

I make lentil soup with sliced-up smoked sausage, like Hillshire Farms. I also add canned or frozen spinach, and season with garlic powder and black pepper.

[Chronos]

Nepali daal bhat (lentil paste with spices, served on a bed of rice and vegetables) is wonderful, though I unfortunately couldn't tell you precisely what spices go into it.

[cuberdon]

There's a soup on recipesource that's lentils, chestnuts, and tomato paste that is remarkably tasty. Some nice crusty garlic bread alongside and you're there.

Also, I've seen a pasta sauce of lentils, onions, ground lamb and some seasonings which I naturally completely forget now. I want to say small amounts of tomato paste and lemon juice.

Are you determined to eat them all in one go? It's not like dry lentils will spoil.

[Electronic Chaos]

There's a recipe for lentil stew here (http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/01/11/arroz-con-menestra-lentil-stew-with-rice/) that I made a few weeks ago, and it's very good. Especially with the carne asada and rice, as depicted.

[brownie55]

Find a local place that sells Jamaican Jerk Seasoning. I get it at the vegan place near the college, but you probably know a place near you.

Sweat some onions and jerk seasoning, then cook in the lentils with veggie stock. Serve spooned over brown rice.

[Markxxx]

Are you determined to eat them all in one go? It's not like dry lentils will spoil.

Yeah I have a small flat with a small refridgerator. I can't keep food outside the fridge or it gets buggy or micey LOL

Thanks for the ideas. I think I'll try the tomoto sauce thing.

One thing I discovered is lentils have a timing for best flavour. If you eat them right away they tast like nothing. If you let them cool off too much they don't taste well. But you have to let them cool off just for like a half an hour or so to get optimal flavour.

[luv2draw]

Moroccan lentil with chick peas soup. Absolutely delish!!! And it's excellent for freezing into portions and reheating.

https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&productId=348528&catalogId=10002&krypto=QJrbAudPd0vzXUGByeatog%3D%3D&ddkey=http:ProductDisplay

[Taomist]

Find a local place that sells Jamaican Jerk Seasoning. I get it at the vegan place near the college, but you probably know a place near you.

Sweat some onions and jerk seasoning, then cook in the lentils with veggie stock. Serve spooned over brown rice.

Wow, now that sounds good!

I usually just garlic/red-pepper/cumin/curry it to death. I love it that way, but always time for something new. :D

[Kimstu]

I can't keep food outside the fridge or it gets buggy or micey LOL

A glass jar with a tight screw-top lid (like an empty pickle or pasta sauce jar) IME is quite good for keeping dried grains and legumes pest-free.

Not that I'm trying to discourage you from eating lentils every day for a week if you want, but you may have more options than you think.

[lindsaybluth]

Kimstu, do you have any quantities/measurements for the recipe posted earlier? It sounds utterly divine.

[maladroit]

Celery/carrot/onion is a pretty basic flavor combo.

[overlyverbose]

Sizzle some cumin seeds, fry a chopped onion with five cloves of garlic, then add ground coriander, cumin, garam masala, a litte fenugreek and some turmeric. Toss in a can of chopped/diced tomatoes. Mix in the lentils and add a half cup of plain yogurt.

Alternatively, I second the sausage idea, maybe adding some okra and possibly chicken with cajun seasonings.

[MN_Maenad]

I'm eating the red lentil salad from this blog entry (http://teaandcookies.blogspot.com/2007/07/picnic-salads-to-go.html) for lunch this week and it's delish for something that simple, just make sure you use lots of oregano. I only had split red lentils in the house and it's still great - I'd feel comfortable substituting brown or green lentils for the red too.

I think The Great God Alton Brown made a lentil salad with bacon that was pretty yummy, but not as good as this one.

[Isosleepy]

panfry some breadcrumbs, and put those on top of the lentils.

[Kimstu]

Kimstu, do you have any quantities/measurements for the recipe posted earlier? It sounds utterly divine.

It is!! But I'm afraid I don't have exact specs for it, although it's based to some extent on Anna Thomas' Spiced Dal recipe in Vegetarian Epicure Book II. The book's partially viewable on Google Books but not that page (curses!)

Um, let's see, I guess it's about a cup of lentils, cooked soft in about 3 cups of water, then saute your curry spices (curry powder or mix your own, it really depends on what/how much you like, but make sure there's plenty of cumin) in about a tablespoon of butter (or ghee, but I never bother making ghee). Add a little more butter and a small chopped onion and saute till the onion is soft and brown, put it all in the lentils (with salt to taste) and simmer about an hour or until you can't stand to wait any longer, dump in another half-tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon or two of lemon juice and about the same of chopped cilantro, unless you really like cilantro which I do, so I put in about a handful. Let it go just another few minutes or until the cilantro's kind of wilty, and om nom nom nom nom. Now I'm all hungry.

[lindsaybluth]

That sounds great. It's Friday night's dinner. I'll try and find it at the library (the SO can look in the stacks for me while at work) but if not, I'll go off what you said.

Mmmmmmmm, lentils :D.

[Superfluous Parentheses]

Many types of curry spices work well.

I like chopped onion, garlic, cumin, tumeric and fresh ginger. Fry the whole lot lightly before adding the lentils and moisture (water, stock, chopped tomatoes, whatever). Same recipe also works with meat or fish or potatoes or chick peas. Serve with fresh coriander leafs.

For a more western taste onion, bacon, carrot and celeriac or celery works well as a base for a soup or stew - also just fry that before adding the moisture and lentils.

I also sometimes add one or more whole or chopped hard boiled eggs (to either dish).

Both are pretty much a basic saute method (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saute). Sounds fancy, but you've probably done it many times already; you quickly fry something in a little bit of fat, and then turn down the heat, add moisture and possibly other stuff, scrape and stir all the juicy cooked bits off the bottom, and simmer it until it's done.

[Zjestika]

Can you get berbere anywhere? It's an amazing Ethiopian spice blend. The you could make something like this (http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Ethiopian-Lentil-Stew).

There's a link for how to make berbere in the link to the recipe. It's such a delicious blend.

[Motorgirl]

Back when we shared an apartment and had no money, my sister and I used to make lentils this way:

Simmer lentils til tender, saute a couple of cloves of garlic and some onion, add to the lentils. Dump in a can of chopped tomatoes, juice and all. Heat through, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty bread. Quite simple and yummy.

[Markxxx]

Simmer lentils til tender, saute a couple of cloves of garlic and some onion, add to the lentils. Dump in a can of chopped tomatoes, juice and all. Heat through, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty bread. Quite simple and yummy.

This sounds good. Thanks for the other ideas too

[Chimera]

They don't call it Soylent Green for nothing, you know.

[emacknight]

I've been trying to up my usage for lentils. My favourite result so far as been making taco filling: Sauteé some onions until they colour, add some chopped garlic, then add a teaspoon each of cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper (cayenne or chapotle for heat). Before that burns add about a half cup of basic jarred salsa. Cook until that reduces a bit then add your lentils and about three times as much water. Bring up to a simmer and cook until the water is almost gone. Then I mash up a few of the lentils so it thickens. Works great in place of taco meat, and works even better with MIXED with taco meat.

I also did a very similar recipe to make sloppy joes (I was then told there is a specific name for it).

And I've also tried a few very successful variations that involved adding some canned beans (red for Sloppy Janes, black for taco meat).

If you're really adventurous you could try making Idli (http://festivals.iloveindia.com/onam/idli.html). It involves soaking rice and lentils, then puree until smooth and steam.

[Panurge]

A previous thread with suggestions and recipies for Indian dal (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=503410).

[Lynn Bodoni]

A glass jar with a tight screw-top lid (like an empty pickle or pasta sauce jar) IME is quite good for keeping dried grains and legumes pest-free.

Not that I'm trying to discourage you from eating lentils every day for a week if you want, but you may have more options than you think. Pickle jars need to air out, and then have newspaper put in them for a week or so, and then be washed and aired out AGAIN to get the pickle aroma out of them, IME. I've had very good luck with hard plastic containers for storing all sorts of dry goods.

As for lentils, make a bone-in pot roast, and then use the bone and a few bits of leftover beef for cooking the lentils, along with aromatic vegetables.

[badbadrubberpiggy]

Make a lentil salad. Cook the lentils, let them cool off, then add some olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, feta, and whatever kind of olives you like.

Throw some cold cooked beef, lamb or poultry in there if you want, too. Make a bunch so you have it to take to work or eat when you don't feel like cooking (well, that's what I do anyway).

[Mr. Duality]

Coconut milk might be good along with curry. It works really well with mung beans.

[Mama Zappa]

A slightly different lentil soup:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Barley-and-Lentil-Soup-with-Swiss-Chard-231578

A fave here (though Swiss Chard is hard to find this time of year, you could substitute other greens or leave them out entirely).