Many people mistakenly call all kinds of beans Lentil. Lentil is a specific type of bean which is flat, round and has a dark brown husk. It makes a very hearty soup all by itself or try it with some hot rice.
Ingredients:
Whole Lentil – 1 cup
Water – 3 cups
Oil – 1 Tbsp
Jeera (Cumin Seeds) – ¼ tsp
Rai (Mustard Seeds) – ¼ tsp
Haldi (Turmeric) – ¼ tsp
Hing (Asofoetida) – pinch
Onion – 1 small, chopped
Garlic – 4 cloves, chopped
Ginger – 1 tsp, finely grated
Green Chilies – to taste, finely chopped
Tomato – 1 medium, chopped
Dhania Powder (Coriander Powder) – 1/2 tsp
Jeera Powder (Cumin Powder) – ¼ tsp
Red Chili Powder – ¼ tsp or to taste
Salt – ½ tsp or to taste
Lemon Juice – ½ tsp or to taste
Cilantro/Coriander Leaves – 5 sprigs, chopped for garnishing
Method:
1. Wash Lentil in running water until water runs clear. Soak for approx 1 hour. Drain water.
2. Add Lentil and 3 cups Water in a pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles.
3. Heat Oil in a pan.
4. Add Jeera and Rai and allow to sputter.
5. Add Haldi, Hing, Onion, Garlic, Ginger and Green Chilies – mix well and cook until onions turn light brown.
6. Add Tomato – mix and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Add Dhania, Jeera and Red Chili Powders – cook for 1 minute.
8. Add in cooked Lentil, Salt and a little extra water if the mixture is too thick.
9. Allow to boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Add Lemon Juice to taste and garnish with Cilantro.
11. Serves 4-5
Tip:
1. Soaking the Lentil for about an hour before pressure cooking reduces cooking time.
2. For a creamy variation, add a dollop of yogurt (at the end) to your lentil.
I don’t have a pressure cooker… how long should I cook the lentils if I’m boiling them in a pot?
Hi Kelly,
Since we have pressure cookers, we tend to use them frequently…a big time saving gadget! Lentils are one of the few beans that do not require soaking. They can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes on the stove, depending on how soft you like them. If cooking lentils on the stove, you may want to add salt after they have cooked – the cooking time is faster that way.
which lentils are we using??is it red lentils plz tell…
thanx
Yes, Sneha. Also known as Whole Masoor.
🙂
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I just finished making this right now and it is AWESOME!!! It took me almost no time at all! God bless lentils..lol. I just increased the spices a bit as I like spicy lentils. Your recipes are so easy to follow. Thank you for responding so quickly.
Hi Heatal and Anuja,
When adding yogurt into any boiling or hot liquid, I find it lumps up a bit. Any suggestions?
Also, does your website carry the pressure cooker that whistles? If not, how do you determine time of cooking? Does it still let of steam burst (if not whistles) that you can count?
Hi Judy,
The best you can do is to beat the yogurt very well before you add it into curries. And even after you add it in, keep stirring on low heat.
Regarding the non-whistle pressure cookers, they say that once the pressure has built up, every 3 minutes is equivelant to a whistle.
Hope that helps!
Hi Judy,
Yes, the pressure cookers on our site do whistle.
Hi Mary Jo,
All our spices are generally in English. Maybe some of our older videos have non-english words for the spices. We have a glossary of with English names for common ingredients.
Please refer to: https://34.233.61.50/glossary/
Would you put the English translation for the beans and spices. I have trouble following your recipes. Thank you.