red lentils

tulip12

Hi
I haven't used lentils much in the past much as always worry about soaking /boiling etc although I would love to use them in our meals that I make.
I have bought some red split lentils hoping to put some in a Chilli I am making in my slow cooker this afternoon. My question is can I just bung these in from the packet with my other ingredients or do I need to boil them first.
Any advice about cooking with lentils would be very much appreciated. Thanks tulip x

lucy_lemon

Red lentils I just chuck in with everything else - they cook really quickly and by the time it's served they tend to have gone to mush. With other lentils, I also just put them in with everything else, but you should probably try them just before serving. I tend to find they are always cooked just by being in the pan. Split peas I tend to use interchangeably with lentils, and unless I am going to be simmering things for a while I do tend to give these a quick boil first. Hope that helps!

[Deleted User]

Red lentils and all pulses really need to be cooked without salt or they can take an age to soften or sometimes not at all. If you have salted the chilli already I would partly cook the lentils for about 10 minutes to give them a head start before putting them in the SC. The other thing that can stop they softening is something acidy like tomatoes. If you haven't salted the dish already then just pop them in but in the SC they will take a few hours to soften anyway, on the hob they will take 20 max to be soft and edible. Hope that helps, Cheers Lyn.

tulip12

Thank you for your replies

I am so pleased that I can just put them in the slow cooker with out having to cook first.
I haven't started to make it as yet so I will only put a little salt in, hopefully after the long cook of the slow cooker they will be done.
Thanks for your advice

zippychick

As others, i just bung them in and measure by the handful

we have a whole lentil thread so ill merge this to yours later

Zip

Stephen_Leak

A friend of Diogenes visited him and found him eating a dinner of lentils. The friend was a courtier in the court of the king. He said to Diogenes, "If you would learn to flatter the king you would not have to eat lentils." Diogenes replied, "And if you would learn to eat lentils you would not have to flatter the king."

room512

Want to make this (and having shopping delivered tomorrow) but does anyone have a favourite recipe? Have looked (google and on here) but there's so many to choose from!

BitterAndTwisted

I've never made a cheese and lentil loaf but I have made lentil pate a couple of time and it was really tasty.

I'm off to search for a cheese and lentil load recipe. What sort of cheese do your recipes recommend?

room512

They all recommend a mature cheddar. Just can't decide on which recipe to choose!

flutterbyuk25

This is the recipe I use, which I stole from my Mum:


1 mug washed red lentils covered with cold water, add bay leaf if got any, bring to boil (without lid) simmer until soft & mushy(technical term !)

when soft add 1 tspn or so of butter or marge, 2 tablespns lemon juice S&P to taste

Add beaten egg when coolish cos it will scramble & cook otherwise

Meanwhile, in frying pan soften 1 chopped onion, garlic to tase, mixed herbs-generous, 1 shredded wheat or 1 thick slice of bread-crumbed(if mixture sloppy add more bread)

Add this mix to lentils, mix & place in loaf tin/oven proof dish, top with grated cheese cook in middle of oven- gas 5(ish) 20-30 mins - until cheese melted & browned.


It can be eaten hot or cold.


HTH