How To Cook Lentils
With the societal focus today on eating healthy, more and more people are discovering lentils and adding them to their diets, but not everyone knows how to cook lentils the proper way. Although lentils have a long history, being one of the first domesticated legumes, they are more a part of Eastern culture than Western. But with today’s nutritional focus on protein diets, lentils are becoming much more commonly used, even in the United States.
Lentils are grown in many countries, such as Ethiopia, Turkey, and Japan, but India is the world’s largest producer. Lentils grow on a bushy plant, not more than two feet tall. The edible part of the plant are the seeds which grow in very, flat oblong pods. When you learn how to cook lentils, it depends on what type you have as to the amount of time needed to prepare them. There are both small and large lentils, as well as red, brown, yellow, green and orange ones.
You can buy lentils whole, split or husked. Unlike other kinds of legumes, lentils do not need to be soaked prior to cooking. However, each different type takes a different amount of time to cook. For instance, yellow lentils only take five to ten minutes while brown and green lentils may take as long as an hour. Also, the older lentils are, the longer they take to cook.
Lentils should be taken out of the package and washed prior to preparation. Go through them and remove any stones, dirt or shriveled ones you find. If you are just learning how to cook lentils, you will find that it is quite simple to get them ready to eat. Just get a pot, add your lentils and enough water or broth to cover them. Bring the lentils to boiling and then turn down the temperature to let them simmer.
This is where the amount of time before they are cooked will vary. Just check them frequently and they will become soft and tender when they are done. Because of the varying length of time it takes to cook lentils, it is best to cook them first and then add any other ingredients in your recipe.
Lentil soup is one of the most popular uses, but lentils are also commonly prepared with tomato sauce and spices for many meals. This is especially true in Indian dishes, where onions, other seasonings and tomatoes are often used. Lentils are sometimes added to salads or mixed with other ingredients to make breads or cakes.
Lentils, like many other legumes, can add iron, potassium and phosphorus to your diet. They also contain a good amount of folate, which has been found to be of great value to pregnant women because it reduces the chances of a baby being born with neural tube defects, such as spinal bifidia and anencephaly. Studies have also shown that including the recommended amount of folate in your diet, 400 micrograms (mcg), can help protect the body from some forms of cancer, strokes and Alzheimer’s disease.