Lentil Curry - mega flavour lentil recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What can you add to lentils to make them taste better? ›

Add some salt, maybe a bay leaf, and maybe a clove of garlic (peeled but left whole). Some recipes will warn you to never add salt to beans or lentils while they're cooking (they say it'll prevent them from cooking through), but it's simply not true! Salt brings out their best.

How long does it keep? This red lentil curry will keep well in the fridge for 4 to 5 days and it's easily reheated in a pot on the stovetop. It also freezes really well, for up to 3 months. Thaw it fully in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Canned lentils are already cooked. Just rinse well and they are ready to use. For dried lentils, lay flat on a cookie sheet and pick out any stones. Then rinse and simmer in low-sodium broth or water for 20-30 minutes, until tender.

These are the most flavorful lentils around. Black lentils might not be quite as common as the other varieties, but buy them if you can find them. They're small, nearly spherical, and can be mistaken for brown lentils with a darker shade of brown. What sets them apart is a thicker skin.

Black Beluga lentils have the most flavor, adding a rich, earthy taste and a firm texture that holds up well during cooking. Black lentils will be ready in 20–25 minutes; however, they will fall apart like their brown, green, and red partners once you cook them for too long.

In terms of food safety, however, so long as you reheat the food at the correct temperature and for the correct duration of time, it can in fact be safely reheated multiple times. However, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends that food is only reheated once, so follow this guidance wherever possible.

Whether brown, green, yellow, red, or black, lentils are low in calories, rich in iron and folate, and an excellent source of protein. They pack health-promoting polyphenols and may reduce several heart disease risk factors.

Try to reheat only the portion you intend to immediately consume and make sure it is piping hot throughout (or invest in a thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 75C). If you don't consume reheated food immediately, avoid handling it and return it to the fridge within two hours.

While it seems like an unnecessary step, don't skip rinsing your lentils and sifting through them before cooking to remove any stones or debris. It is rare to find stones, but it does happen.

Never fear: That foam is actually totally natural and completely safe. But what the heck is it? During the canning process, legumes from beans to chickpeas leach out some of their starch and proteins into the liquid, which is sometimes called aquafaba.

Can you eat too many lentils? ›

Eating half a cup of cooked lentils gives you lots of essential nutrients and their high fiber content makes you feel full. However, the fiber in lentils can be hard for your body to break down. Eating too many lentils can cause gas, bloating, and cramping.

The actual sweetness and creaminess of such curries meanwhile, usually comes from fried onions and either cashews and/or dairy products. Instead of (or in addition to) onion, ground coconut may be used. White poppy seeds and/or watermelon seeds are also used in some creamy sauces.

Clotted cream is amazing and it doesn't just have to be used on scones! By adding it to this curry it gives it that nice creamy flavour, but I do find it very subtle so its not over powering. Funny enough it makes it almost taste like a korma but has more of a tomato flavour than coconut.

There are several ways to thicken curry sauces and avoid making them too runny or watery. One option is to add dairy such as Greek yogurt, heavy cream, or coconut cream . Another option is to add ground nuts like cashews or almonds to the sauce . A roux made with flour and butter is also an effective thickener.

Add aromatics to the water or, even better, use chicken or vegetable stock instead of water. Follow this tip: Add a few cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, a spring of rosemary, half of an onion, or a combination of these aromatics to the cooking water or stock to help flavor the lentils.

Some garlic, tomato, herbs and 25 minutes is all you need for the most flavorful, perfectly soft lentils.” But the way they come together will make you pause and maybe giggle: You drop a whole, large tomato and four garlic cloves, jackets and all, into the pot with the dry lentils and herbs.

I add chicken stock to my lentils with a bit of tomato paste and a few squeezes of lemon. Also, making sure you sautee your veggies (garlic, onions, celery, etc) for a good while before adding your lentils is important to give them more flavor. Cook it in chicken stock. Add some poultry seasoning.

Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer until they are tender. For whole lentils, cook time is typically 15-20 minutes. For split red lentils, cook time is typically only about 5-7 minutes. Be sure to season with salt after cooking – if salt is added before, the lentils will become tough.