You’ve Been Overlooking This Cheap, Versatile Protein Powerhouse—Right here’s What to Do With It

Lentils actually knock it out of the park: They’re nutritious, inexpensive, versatile, and fast to cook dinner. These tiny, lens-shaped legumes have been a staple in kitchens world wide since they have been first cultivated in Southeast Asia 8,000 to 10,000 years in the past, including taste, texture, and protein to soups, stews, salads, sides, veggie burgers, and extra. Whether or not you’re after a straightforward weeknight dinner or a extra concerned mission, lentils meet cooks proper the place they’re. 

To assist me navigate the extensive world of lentils, I spoke with Joe Yonan, meals and eating editor of The Washington Put up and creator of Cool Beans and the James Beard Award–successful Mastering the Artwork of Plant-Based mostly Cooking. I additionally talked to Maya Kaimal, founder and chief culinary and artistic officer of Maya Kaimal Meals and the creator of Indian Taste Each Day and different cookbooks.

What Are Lentils?

Lentils are pulses—a subgroup of legumes that features lentils, peas, and beans. All lentils are legumes, however not all legumes are pulses. “In India, the time period ‘dal’ refers broadly to pulses, together with lentils, cut up peas, and even some forms of beans utilized in cooking,” says Kaimal. Lentils get star billing in lots of cuisines; they’re featured in Indian dals and curries, Egyptian koshari, and French lentil salads, to call just a few. Kaimal loves their versatility, noting that they work simply as superbly in conventional dishes as they do in ingenious riffs and leftovers—for instance, a breakfast she makes of toast topped with dal, yogurt, and a drizzle of chili crisp. 

A part of lentils’ attraction is their practicality: Most varieties don’t require soaking, they usually cook dinner quicker than many legumes (comparable to chickpeas), making them a handy selection for fast meals. Plus, they’re cheap and wholesome—they’re full of protein, fiber, nutritional vitamins, and minerals. In addition they shine in surprising methods. Yonan suggests frying them till they’re crisp to make use of as a topping for grain bowls and salads—a trick he picked up from vegetarian cooking icon Mollie Katzen’s 2013 cookbook The Coronary heart of the Plate.

Widespread Forms of Lentils

Brown Lentils

Brown lentils stands out as the best-known selection within the U.S., they usually’re those you’re most certainly to seek out at most grocery shops. These lentils have an earthy, gentle taste and function a clean canvas with just about any seasoning. When cooked, they’re tender however nonetheless maintain their form—so long as you don’t overcook them. (Simmering for 20 to half-hour ought to suffice; examine on them periodically for doneness). They’re additionally a strong selection for soups, stews, and veggie burgers. In Indian cooking, brown lentils usually present up in blended dals that mix completely different lentils for distinction. Mediterranean cooks use them in salads, usually tossed with recent herbs and lemon juice or vinegar. In addition they make nice stews.

Inexperienced Lentils

Inexperienced lentils are barely bigger than brown lentils and vary in coloration from pale inexperienced to mottled hues. They’ve a firmer texture and maintain their form even higher than brown lentils when cooked, making them perfect for salads and dishes the place distinct, intact lentils are fascinating. Common inexperienced lentils have a light nuttiness and are broadly utilized in Indian and Center Jap dals and pilafs. French inexperienced lentils (Puy lentils), however, are small, extra rounded, and further agency, permitting them to carry up exceptionally nicely in cooking. They’re particularly good in salads and sides; strive tossing them with roasted greens, goat cheese, and a mustardy French dressing.

French
Simple French Lentils With Garlic and Herbs
How you can deal with lentils with the care and respect they deserve.

cook dinner time:


40 minutes

serves:


4
to six

Pink Lentils and Masoor Dal

If you store for pink lentils in a typical American grocery retailer, you’re virtually all the time taking a look at cut up pink lentils. Additionally referred to as masoor dal, these are hulled and cut up, which helps them cook dinner rapidly—normally in 10 to fifteen minutes—right into a easy, creamy texture. They’re orange or salmon in coloration and are excellent for soups, stews, and any dish the place softness is vital. At an Indian or South Asian grocery retailer, you’ll probably discover each cut up and complete pink lentils; the entire ones nonetheless have their reddish-brown pores and skin. 

Complete pink lentils take about twice as lengthy to cook dinner, they usually maintain their form higher, making them nice for salads or veggie burgers. “Whether or not cut up or complete, these lentils are important in South Asian cooking, simmered with spices like cumin, turmeric, and chile for warming dals or lentil soups,” says Kaimal. Pink lentils pair fantastically nicely with different flavors, too. Yonan fondly recollects one other Mollie Katzen recipe through which she combines them merely with gentle, candy onions and vinegar. “That dish was a revelation—it confirmed me this type of lentil might be wonderful even with out Indian spices.”

Yellow Lentils

Considerably confusingly, the time period “yellow lentils” is used to refer to 3 completely different legumes, none of that are technically lentils, however all of which might be cooked like and used equally to lentils. Yellow lentils mostly consult with moong dal, hulled and cut up mung beans that cook dinner rapidly and have a light, subtly candy taste. In Indian cooking, moong dal is utilized in dals, soups, and snacks like pakoras (Indian fritters). Toor dal (yellow pigeon pea) is one other well-liked yellow legume that will get the yellow lentil moniker and can also be utilized in dals and stews; it’s barely bigger than moong dal, holds its form nicely, and has a nice nuttiness. Lastly, yellow cut up peas are additionally generally grouped with yellow lentils as a result of their related coloration and culinary makes use of. All three of those yellow varieties carry smoothness and heat to dishes and are prized for his or her fast cooking and flexibility.

Mung Beans
Moong Dal
Spiced with turmeric and flavored with a aromatic onion and tomato masala, moong dal is a staple in lots of South Asian households.

cook dinner time:


2 hrs 45 minutes

serves:


4

Black Lentils

Black lentils are small, spherical, and recognized for his or her wealthy, nutty taste and pleasantly agency texture. Typically referred to as “beluga lentils” for his or her resemblance to beluga caviar, they maintain their form nicely throughout cooking, making them perfect for grain bowls, roasted vegetable salads, and easy sides. Their texture is much like that of Puy lentils, so the 2 can usually be used interchangeably.

Black lentils are a staple in conventional Indian dishes, comparable to dal makhani, through which they’re slowly simmered right into a creamy stew. However they’re additionally nice to experiment with. Yonan soaks black lentils in a single day, then mixes them with seeds to make crackers. He additionally serves marinated lentils on blinis as a playful twist on caviar.

Vegetarian
Dal Makhani
Simmer black gram and kidney beans with spices, cream, and butter for dal makhani—a wealthy, comforting meal that’s usually reserved for particular events in India.

cook dinner time:


4 hrs 15 minutes

serves:


4

Chana Dal

Although chana dal will not be a lentil, it usually will get grouped with or offered alongside lentils. Chana dal comes from cut up chickpeas with the outer pores and skin eliminated. It has a agency texture and a barely nutty, earthy taste. As a result of it holds up nicely throughout lengthy cooking, it’s excellent for hearty dals, soups, and fried snacks, comparable to pakoras and vadas. “Chana dal is a staple in Indian kitchens as a result of it retains its texture, including heartiness and chunk,” says Kaimal.

Looking for, Storing, Prepping, and Cooking Lentils

When procuring, search for lentils which can be evenly coloured and freed from cracks or discoloration. Yonan warns towards poorly maintained bulk bins: “If a bin seems to be prefer it’s been sitting untended for a very long time, I’d go.” Since bulk bin-freshness is difficult to guage by sight alone—and there isn’t any telling how lengthy lentils have been sitting there—you are counting on visible cues and the shop’s popularity to know whether or not you are getting recent or stale lentils. Keep away from packages that look dusty or worn, and store at shops with good foot site visitors, the place excessive turnover means bins and cabinets are probably restocked steadily.

Retailer lentils in an hermetic container in a cool, dry spot away from daylight. They preserve for as much as a yr, however for the very best taste, use them inside six months of buying. Older lentils—these which were sitting on the shelf for longer than a yr—could take longer to cook dinner; give attention to their texture slightly than the cooking time specified within the recipe. Once they’re tender and cooked via, they’re achieved. 

As famous above, lentils do not have to be soaked earlier than cooking, nevertheless it’s a good suggestion to choose via them to take away any stones and different particles and shriveled lentils, then rinse them in a fine-mesh sieve underneath operating water. Take into account when cooking them that “there is a high quality line between underdone and mush,” as Daniel factors out in his straightforward French lentils recipe. He recommends simmering them gently to protect their form—you may as well cool them with ice to stop overcooking. Daniel additionally recommends salting the water generously from the begin to season the lentils to their core and including aromatics and herbs to the pot to infuse them with taste. Seasoned and cooked nicely, lentils are sure to take their rightful place on the middle of your plate extra usually.