How to cook lentils?

Is it really a thing of the past? I don’t think so.

I looooove lentils. My mom’s lentil soup was a staple growing up. As you probably know I grew up in Medellin, Colombia and legumes were part of our daily life. Lentils, beans and garbanzo beans were among the most popular dishes for lunches and dinners.

She had a pressure cooker that would make an unbelievably loud noise in the small room that was our kitchen. I remember opening the kitchen door ever so slowly so as not to disturb this piece of machinery that I was sure would kill me if I moved too quickly. The noise and the fumes coming out of it were enough for me to stay clear of the kitchen when beans and lentils were being cooked.

My mom, being the good Colombian mom that she is, identified this fear of mine and decided that it was time for me to handle the pressure cooker, under supervision of course. She taught me that once the steam was coming out of the pressure cooker there was not much that could be done. You just had to wait and hope for the best. The other important piece of information she offered was to never, ever open the lid without first releasing the steam. She told me that she had learnt this lesson the hard way.

So, with my mom’s instructions and under her vigilant eye, by the age of 24 I had cooked my first lentil soap successfully in a pressure cooker with no major problems. Not bad eh? Ha! It seems now that pressure cookers are a thing of the past, and maybe there is a reason: they were scary. I haven’t seen one in ages, needless to say, I haven’t cooked in one in over a decade.

The cooking method I propose is much easier and really hassle free. But before jumping into that let’s review some practical tips you should know about lentils and other legumes:

• Cook legumes with fennel or cumin to help prevent gas
• Soak legumes for at least 12 hours. You can change the water they are soaking in once or twice. Rinse well before cooking. *Lentils require shorter soaking time, about 8 hours should be fine.
• Add apple cider vinegar into water in the last stages of cooking time. This will make legumes more digestible.
• Sprouting legumes is a great way to also avoid digestibility problems.
• Add salt to beans only in the very last stage of cooking time.
• Legumes combine well with green or non-starchy vegetables and seaweeds.
• Lastly, chew your legumes well!

Recipe:

• 1 cup of pre-soaked lentils. To soak lentils just put one cup of lentils with 2 ½ cups of water in a bowl overnight. Rinse well before use.
• Avocado or coconut oil
• Half an onion, finely chopped.
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped.
• 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped.
• 1 teaspoon curry powder. You can add more of this spice if you prefer a stronger curry taste.
• 1 teaspoon cumin.
• 1 teaspoon oregano.
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste.
• 3-4 cups water. You might need to add some water as the cooking time progresses. You can also use home-made bone broth if available.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• *If adding more water during the cooking process make sure to check the taste as you will probably need to adjust the spices to balance the flavour.

Method:

HEAT about 3 tablespoons of avocado or coconut oil in a medium size Dutch oven.

TOSS in the onion. Once it is translucent add the garlic. Let it cook for about 2 minutes and then add celery and carrots.

ADD spices at this point. Make sure to season so there is enough flavour in the “sofrito” as you will add water later on.

ADD tomato paste and stir making sure everything is evenly coated.

ADD lentils and stir.

ADD 3 cups of water.

ADD salt and pepper and check water is well seasoned and cover.

SIMMER for about 30 minutes over medium heat, checking if water needs to be added (level should be maintained)

 SIMMER for a further 45 minutes.

At this point your lentils should be cooked, but if they need more time, simmer for another 15 minutes. You will know that they are ready when they are soft.

Serve with brown rice and enjoy!!