How to cook lentils

When it comes to legumes, many immediately represent peas or beans. And also a long and tedious waiting for the moment when they are brewed.

However, it turns out that among legumes there is a vegetable plant, which delivers less hassle, but it is very useful and nutritious. This is lentils.

Its grains are rich in phosphorus, iron, calcium, vitamins C, PP, B, carotene.

In addition to microelements important for the body, there is so much protein in lentils that it can replace even meat. Therefore, it is so popular in vegetarian cuisine.

Lentils are used to make soups, salads, various snacks, mashed potatoes. And for each individual dish requires a certain grade.

The fact is that lentils are green, red, orange, brown and even black. And any of these varieties requires an individual approach, as the lentils of different colors have different cooking times and the state in which the beans will be after boiling.

But prepare lentils of different varieties in the same way.

How to prepare lentils for cooking

• Lentils, like all legumes, are sorted out, removing impurities, as well as deformed and damaged grains.
• Then it is washed several times in cool water. Since it is rather small, a sieve or a colander with small holes is used for this, through which the grains do not slip.
• More often than not, lentils are not soaked, as it is cooked for a short time. But if they want to shorten the cooking time, then it is poured with cold water and left for 2-3 hours. For a longer period it is not worth soaking.

How to cook lentils correctly

• Washed lentils are poured with cold water (2, 5-3 liters of liquid is taken for 1 kg of beans) and set on fire.
• Quickly bring to a boil and boil under a lid on a small light so that the water does not boil and drain with the foam from the pan.
• To improve taste, spices and aromatic herbs are added to water when boiling.
• Salt at the end of cooking. But if you need to end up with whole grains, then they are laid in salted water. Only in this case, their cooking time is doubled.
• Duration of cooking depends on the type of lentils.
• Then the beans are laid in a colander and used for further cooking. To do this, stew vegetables according to a selected recipe or prepare a sauce. Then boiled lentils are added there and brought back to the boil. Sprinkle with greens.

More lentils can be cooked the same way they cook rice or any other cereal.

With this method of cooking the beans are immersed in boiling water. Because of this, they are less boiled soft.

• Take 2 glasses of water or broth into a glass of beans. Put on the stove and bring to a boil.
• Pour the lentils, stirring. After the liquid boils, the fire is reduced and the beans are boiled until tender with a slightly ajar lid.
• Five minutes before the end of cooking, put salt.
• Add greens, butter, or other ingredients already cooked to the finished lentils.

How to cook lentil soup

• Pour enough water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Pour the washed lentils.
• While stirring, they achieve rapid re-boiling, after which the fire is reduced. Cook the beans until cooked.
• During cooking, the vegetables are dipped in broth in the order in which they are cooked. 5-10 minutes before the end of cooking add stir-fry from onions and other vegetables. Then soup and salt.

How to cook lentils in the microwave

• Lentils are washed, poured into a pan, suitable for microwave.
• Fill with hot water (250 ml of liquid are taken per 100 g of beans).
• Cover with a lid and cook on high power for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from oven and mix with prepared vegetables or meat. If you want to cook in a microwave lentil porridge, then add a little more hot water and cook before cooking the beans.

How to cook lentils in a slow cooker

• To prepare a second dish with different vegetables in a slow cooker, put the products in the order of succession and stew them by setting the “Baking” mode.
• Twenty minutes later add the washed lentils.
• Pour hot water (250 ml of water are taken per 100 g of beans).
• The subsequent cooking is carried out on the program “Porridge” or “Rice”. To determine the readiness of lentils, it must taste. At the end of cooking salt and gently mix.

Before boiling lentils of one color or another, you need to decide what the beans will be used for. After all, for each class has its own rules of cooking.

How to cook green lentils

Green lentils are slightly unripe beans. It has a greenish-brown color. Such beans are most often used for main dishes, appetizers and salads. Because even though they cook longer lentils of a different color, they hardly boil soft and the grains remain whole.

Such lentils, after the water boils, boil 30-40 minutes.

How to cook red lentils

Red or orange lentils are much finer green. It differs not only in appearance, but also in cooking time. Very quickly cooked, but the grain is boiled soft. This is due to the fact that it enters the shops already cleansed from the shell.

Therefore, it is used for making soups, sauces, mashed potatoes.

Red lentils are dipped in boiling water, brought to a boil and 10-15 minutes are boiled under low heat. Salt, like all legumes, at the end of cooking.

To make mashed potatoes, the liquid that remains in the pan is poured. And the beans are hot rubbed through a wiper or mashed using ordinary pulverizer.

How to cook yellow lentils

Yellow lentils are almost the same as green lentils. But it is already cleared of the shell, so it turns out that color. It also belongs to the brand, which is quickly boiled soft. It is enough to boil it 15 minutes, and the thick soup will be ready. From these beans it turns out tasty mashed potatoes. Especially if before cooking lentil soak in water. Although with proper preparation and under vigilant control, it is possible to ensure that its grains are not too boiled soft and at the same time retain their shape. Therefore, apart from soups, yellow lentils are also used to prepare main dishes, mixing it with vegetables.

For those who still doubt the useful properties of lentils, here is given such useful information:

• Lentil improves digestion. In particular, it helps to get rid of heartburn.
• If it is consumed regularly, the level of sugar in the blood decreases.
• The magnesium and manganese in these beans improve the nervous system.
• Due to its composition, it strengthens blood vessels.
• Helps better metabolism.
• These beans can be replaced not only meat, but also potatoes, as well as other cereals.

Knowing the rules of cooking lentils, as well as the behavior of each of its varieties during heat treatment, from these beans you can prepare a lot of tasty and healthy dishes.