Best Savory Lentils Recipes

SAVORY LENTILS

Steps:

• 1. Saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Bring stock to boil in medium sauce pan. Add lentils, salt, pepper, savory, celery,carrot, tomatoes, and sauted onion and garlic.
• 2. Simmer over low to medium heat 45 minutes or until lentils are tender and thick.

SAVORY LENTILS FROM PANAMA

Steps:

• Wash lentils thoroughly.
• Put them in saucepan and cover with water, add butter or oil.
• Cover and bring to a natural simmer over low heat.
• *Note-this takes a little while but prevents lentils from breaking.
• Once at a low boil, you may need to tilt the lid slightly to release steam and prevent overboil.
• Add onions, peppers, and garlic and continue to simmer for about 45 mins or until lentils are soft.
• Drain lentils in a strainer with a measuring cup beneath to catch the excess liquid.
• Pour off all but 1 cup of the liquid (keeping the last cup gives the best texture) and return to the pan with boullion cubes, until dissolved.
• Return lentils to pan and cook 15 mins more, adding salt& pepper.

SAVORY RED LENTILS

Steps:

• Saute chopped onion and garlic for several.
• minutes.
• Rinse red lentils, and add with the rest of the ingredients.
• Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Uncover and cook for 5 minutes more. Add more water if needed.

GARLICKY DAL (SAVORY LENTILS)

Steps:

• Pick over dry dal for grit; rinse a couple of times and drain.
• Bring to boil about 3 cups water in a 2-quart saucepan.
• Add dal to hot water.
• Stir in salt and turmeric powder.
• (Water can boil over when dal is added; lower the heat as needed.) Partially cover and simmer on medium heat until dal is tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
• (Add hot water depending on the consistency desired.) Note: Split dal can be cooked in a slow cooker[2 to 3 hours] or in a pressure cooker for about 10 minutes.
• To sauté, heat the oil in a small skillet on medium heat.
• Add cumin seeds; as soon as they change color (few seconds), add garlic and onions.
• Stir, sprinkling little water if needed, until onions are golden brown.
• Add ginger and remaining seasonings (except tomatoes and garam masala); stir for a couple of minutes.
• Add tomatoes and cook for another minute.
• 5.
• Mix the sautéed seasonings into the cooked dal and continue cooking on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes until dal is thickened.
• Add garam masala.
• 6.
• Serve hot, garnished with green coriander.
• Optionally sprinkle lemon juice.
• Variation 1: Use brown lentils, peeled yellow Mung, peeled light yellow Urad, or split dark yellow Toor (or a mix of them).
• They take about 3 cups of water to 1 cup of dry dal and only 30 to 40 minutes to cook.
• Variation 2: Use whole green Mung, whole black Urad, whole dark brown Masoor, whole yellow brownish Toor, or split yellow Chana (or a mix of them).
• They take 3 to 4 cups of water to 1 cup of dry dal and longer to cook (about 1 hour).
• (Takes 4 to 5 hours in slow cooker, 25 minutes in pressure cooker.) Healthy Alternative: Add some vegetable stock or 3 tablespoons of Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) when dal is half cooked.

SAVORY LENTILS AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Add the first 12 ingredients to a large soup pot.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
• Add in tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste; stir to mix.
• Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated.
• Season to taste with salt, pepper, or hot sauce.

SAVORY LENTILS IN THE RICE COOKER

Steps:

• Add all ingredients to inner pot and stir. Place inner pot in the rice cooker, close the lid, and set to White Rice or press the Cook switch.
• Midway through cooking, carefully open rice cooker, stir ingredients with a long-handled wooden spoon and re-cover. Use caution when opening as escaping steam and inner bowl are hot.
• Reseal lid and allow to cook until the rice cooker switches to Keep-Warm. When rice cooker switches to Keep-Warm, carefully open the lid, stir again and re-cover. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

SIMPLE SAVORY LENTILS (DAL)

Steps:

• Soak lentils in water to cover for several hours or overnight. Drain.
• Bring lentils & 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan & stir in salt & turmeric.
• Cover & simmer about 45 minutes or until lentils are tender (but not mushy.).
• Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat & cook onion, cumin & cardamon, stirring, about 3 minutes.
• Add garlic & cook, stirring, another minute.
• Stir onion mixture into lentils.
• Cook uncovered over low heat 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

SAVORY LENTILS WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Slice the bacon into thin pieces and fry in a large pot. Mince the garlic, chop the onion and add to the bacon when the bacon is almost done; use the bacon fat to saute. Slice the celery diagonally, chop the turnips into 1 inch chunks and chop the parsley; add to the onions when the onions are almost soft. Add the thyme and continue to saute for 6 or 7 minutes. Rinse the lentils and add to the onion mixture; pour the chicken broth into the pot with the lentils and onions. Add the salt and pepper. Simmer gently until lentils are soft, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. While the lentils are cooking, slice the sausages into bite sized pieces and saute them in a large frying pan with a little olive oil; add the white wine and continue cooking until the wine evaporates. Then brown the sausages; you probably won't need to add olive oil. Add the browned sausages to the lentils when the lentils are done. Add the Dijon mustard and the wine vinegar. Cook for a couple of minutes more and then serve.