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Mashed lentils

Mashed Lentils

Add some variety to your menu with an easy, tasty dish! Lentil purée is just the thing when you really want something with beans but don't have time for soaking and long cooking. Lentils aren't as common here as peas and beans, but they have a lot going for them: a pleasant nutty flavor and one of the highest plant-protein contents around. They come in many kinds — green, brown, red, yellow — and work as a side dish or in soups, stews, salads, and porridges.

katushafin

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Red lentils

Water

Salt

Butter

Dried spices

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 27 % 6 g

Fats 9 % 2 g

Carbohydrates 64 % 14 g

107 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 30 min

Step 1:

Get out and measure your ingredients.
Step 2:

Rinse the lentils well under cool running water, drain them in a sieve, and let them sit.
Step 3:

Cover with water and set to cook.
Step 4:

Bring to a boil and skim off any foam.
Step 5:

Add salt and, if you like, some spices. Reduce the heat and cover.
Step 6:

Cook until nearly all the water has been absorbed. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for five minutes so the rest of the water soaks in.
Step 7:

Purée the lentils with a blender. A regular potato masher works too — or even a spoon, since lentils cook down so well.
Step 8:

Add the butter, stir, and it's ready to serve.

I used red lentils for this purée. If you use another kind, keep its quirks in mind — some need more cooking time and more water, and black and brown lentils still need a short soak. If the lentils are soft but there's water left, just drain off the excess. Hot puréed lentils are loose but thicken noticeably as they cool. If you're fasting or dieting, you can swap the butter for any vegetable oil. It makes a very tasty side dish if you stir fried or stewed vegetables into the cooked lentils — onion and carrot will do, or add zucchini, eggplant, pepper, and tomato. Cooled lentils are also good in salads. The lentils lose a bit of color as they cook, so garnish with fresh herbs when serving. Use any spices you like: turmeric, ginger, and coriander add an Indian touch, cumin a Middle Eastern one. You can also cook the lentils in broth instead of water.