Lentil Recipes, Cooking Lentils, What Are Lentils? Lentil Nutrition

Great Lentil Recipes And Everything You Need To Know For Cooking Lentils

The variety of lentil recipes to try is testament to the versatility of this wonderful food.

If you want to cook for a low fat low cholesterol diet, look no further than the humble lentil.

Personally, I think it's impossible to not like lentils. They seem to reinvent themselves for every dish and lend themselves to all kinds of cooking styles.

If that's not reason enough to start cooking lentils, their nutritional benefits will certainly persuade you.

What Are Lentils?

Lentils are basically a small pulse or legume. There is a huge variety available, varying in colour from the more common greenish brown and red to yellow, white and black.

Green Lentils

The most common are green lentils and split red lentils.

In the Indian sub-continent, where lentils form a central part of the diet, lentils are known as dal (or dahl) although the term dal specifically refers to any split bean, pea or lentil with the husk removed.

Whole lentils tend to hold their shape (more or less) when cooked and will need to be drained after cooking.

Split red lentils will dissolve completely into a puree which is why they are so popular in soups. Add a tablespoon or two to any soup near the start of cooking to make it thicker and more substantial.

Split Red Lentils

How To Cook Lentils

Cooking lentils is easy. Unlike beans, they do not need to be soaked. To cook, simply place in a large pot, cover with twice their volume of water, bring to the boil and simmer till tender. How long that takes really depends on the variety and age of the lentils you are cooking. For more information on cooking lentils, take a look at the lentil recipes below.

Whole lentils will usually take 30 to 40 minutes to cook while split lentils cook much faster. These may only take 20 minutes.

Consider Using A Pressure Cooker

Using a pressure cooker allows you to cook lentils in about a third of the time. You also use need a lot less water when you cook with a pressure cooker meaning that your food retains up to 50% more of its vitamin and mineral content.

Look on Amazon.com for pressure cookers. They carry an excellent range and prices start very low.

Lentil Nutrition

Their incredible nutritional value should be enough to get you cooking lentils. They are rich in protein, fibre and complex carbohydrates. They are a good source of calcium, phosphorus, iron, B vitamins and folic acid. They are also low calorie, low fat and cholesterol free.

By: ifood.tv

On average 100g or ½ Cup of cooked lentils provides: