Lentil question

bebeisfit
bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
edited December 2024 in Recipes
I love lentils. Both green and red. A lot of recipes say to cook the lentils in water in one pan, and saute your onion, garlic and spices in another. Then add them together. Is there a reason to use 2 separate pots? Why can't I saute the onions, etc, then add uncooked lentils and water until it's done? Thanks!

Currently cooking red lentil soup with berbere, an Ethiopian spice mixture. My kitchen smells amazing!

Replies

  • Tamijennelle
    Tamijennelle Posts: 36 Member
    Because they release a lot of starch and will make the entire dish gooey and sticky.
  • mjwarbeck
    mjwarbeck Posts: 699 Member
    Lentils need to boil...not just quickly sauté. If you cook together you'll lose the different textures....

    Another reason is that you typically don't salt lentils or beans until they are cooked as they can get tough. You do salt onions etc while cooking.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,303 Member
    Do you thicken your soup having cooked the lentils separately? If you do the starch from the lentils could take the place of cornflour or similar thickening agent or you might need less. I never use salt in our cooking.
  • dklibert
    dklibert Posts: 1,196 Member
    I think it depends if you want the lentils to keep their shape. If you want them creamy and to thicken the soup do not salt until they are soft. They will get soft and almost dissolve in the soup.

    In my experience you can cook with everything else. I add the lentils when I add the broth. This soup turned out well. soupspiceeverythingnice.blogspot.com/2012/10/lentil-and-sausage-soup.html

    I just made another soup where the lentils retain their shape and the recipe called to brine the dry lentil in warm salt water solution, then add them to the pot. The lentils stayed whole and the skins had chew but were soft inside.
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
    You can do it both ways.
    I add everything in one pot; lentils, onion and spices...and they come out delicious.
  • kirakinss
    kirakinss Posts: 25 Member
    Honestly I do it all together too just for convenience. I actually use water to sauté the onions and garlic first, and then I add the lentils and a little bit of water. Every now and then I deglaze the pan with more water, but I just find that it comes out a lot better when I use just water and no oil when I cook it this way. I love lentils too! Especially brown lentils because they keep their texture really well.
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
    I don't even saute my onion I just toss them in with the lentils
  • kirstenb13
    kirstenb13 Posts: 181 Member
    I have never heard of sauteeing the onion etc extra, can't see how that would even work since they flavor the lentils. I use mainly French lentils and make them basically like this and they are great http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/8175-french-lentils-with-garlic-and-thyme
  • kandeye
    kandeye Posts: 216 Member
    I just made a lentil/butternut squash curry soup today. I just threw everything in the crockpot.
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