Cooking Lentils - where am I going wrong?!

climbgirl · 26 February 2007 at 12:17PM

I think I'm doing something wrong when I cook lentils! I always thought they retained their shape when they were cooked but mine always seem to end up turning into mush. Which is fine when I'm making soups but not so great for things like dahls and stews.

I've been following the instructions on the packet which said to cook for 30 mins - 10 mins hard boiling and 15-20 simmering (no soaking required). It seemed like a long time but I know things like chickpeas need a lot of cooking/soaking so I figured it must be right.

But when I cook them, they've turned to mush by the time the 10 mins of boiling is up. Should they retain their shape? Do they not need that much cooking? What am I doing wrong?!

newlywed · 26 February 2007 at 12:37PM

I think that red lentils turn to mush but someone on here suggested green lentils keep their shape. I've only cooked red though.

Are you cooking red lentils?

Clive_Woody · 26 February 2007 at 12:44PM

Red lentils will turn to mush when cooked for a long time, they are great for adding to curries or stews to thicken the sauce. You may want to try some green lentils (or similar, have a look at your supermarket) that tend to retain a bit more bite to them when cooked. You still have to be careful of overcooking, keep and eye on them and turn off the heat when they reach a suitable consistency.

I seem to remember Puy lentils are good to cook with and don't go mushy.

climbgirl · 26 February 2007 at 12:44PM

newlywed wrote:

I think that red lentils turn to mush but someone on here suggested green lentils keep their shape. I've only cooked red though.

Are you cooking red lentils?

They were red lentils actually, I didn't realise there was a difference between the colours with regard to retaining their shape!

I'll have a go with some green ones, see what happens there.

thanks!

thriftlady_2 · 26 February 2007 at 1:13PM

Yep, red lentils will definitely go mushy. It's not your cooking

I cooked some Puy lentils at the weekend and they only needed 10 -15 mins.

climbgirl · 26 February 2007 at 1:27PM

Thanks all, will try some other varieties and keep the cooking time a bit shorter. I thought 30 mins was a bit excessive...

overlykeensaver · 26 February 2007 at 1:43PM

I cook red lentils for dhal nearly every week and find that if I add just enough water to cover them, an dthen cook for about 10-15 minutes, that is enough time to cook them. I don't actually mind when they go all sloppy for dhal! Green and puy lentils definitely keep their shape much better than red though.

angelavdavis · 26 February 2007 at 2:38PM

I actually use red lentils in stews with pearl barley to thicken. The lentils disappear. I also boil lentils for a tasty soup.

I cook with Puy lentils quite a bit - adding them to lamb with veg and red wine in the SC. They always hold their shape.

kittiwoz · 27 February 2007 at 3:04PM

Basically split ones (like red lentils and split peas) don't have the skin on so they go mushy, whereas beans and lentils which do have the skin on stay whole. If you are cooking the type that go soft and you don't want them to mush I find the best thing to do is to aciduate the cooking water which makes them cook slower and keep checking them to try and catch them when they're just cooked and not yet mush.

Justie · 27 February 2007 at 3:06PM

if you can find yellow lentils (split peas) for dahl then they're great but they always take longer to cook than I think cos I'm so used to cooking with red ones

Wiggly_Worm · 27 February 2007 at 3:36PM

Don't stir em! Well, any more than you absolutely have to to stop them sticking. The more you stir any colour lentils, the quicker they go mushy. But yup, red ones mush the quickest!

Puy lentils are gorgeous, btw, especially if you cook em in lime juice and coconut milk

They keep their shape just fine

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Cooking Lentils - where am I going wrong?!

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