• GDTRFB@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Lentil soup with rice. My wife calls it her favorite comfort food.

    What I do is:

    Preheat a dutch oven with a little olive oil over medium heat

    Dice 2 small/1 large yellow onion

    Chop (don’t peel) 2 small/1 large yukon gold potato

    Chop a couple of carrots and sometimes a couple of celery stalks

    Start the onions cooking down first (sometimes adding just a touch of brown sugar)

    After a little bit I add the rest of the veggies and a lot of cumin powder

    Wait until all the veggies are getting a just bit tender/browned, stirring occasionally

    Add a little bit of white wine and scrape off bits at the bottom of the pot

    Add 4 cups water and 4 teaspoons Chicken Better than Bullion

    Add more cumin, a bit a ground cardamom, ground coriander, and garlic powder

    Let it boil a bit for the veggies to get even more tender

    Add 1 cup red lentils and simmer

    At this point I start cooking some white rice in my instant pot, takes about 15 minutes

    Just about when the rice is done, the lentils should be soft, so take an immersion blender and blend until smooth (should still be a little chunky)

    Salt and add bit of lemon juice and/or white wine vinegar to taste

    Serve over the rice, garnish with some fresh parsley if wanted

    Ok writing it out maybe not the absolute easiest dish – but I think its pretty simple and most of it is totally on auto-pilot. Totally delicious and the leftovers are amazing too.

    • d3Xt3r@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      You can make a super easy version if you’ve got an Instant Pot / pressure cooker - just chuck all the ingredients into a ceramic bowl (I do this instead of putting it in directly as it makes it easier to clean, plus, you can eat right off the bowl when it’s done).

      To elaborate, I rinse the rice and lentils together (approx 1:1 ratio but I prefer a bit more lentils than rice, for more protein and a creamier texture), add twice the amount of water, then chuck in veggies (at its very basic just onions and tomatoes; optionally ginger, garlic and chillies), plus spices and seasonings (at its very basic I’d just add turmeric and salt; for more variety I’d add cumin, coriander powder and a pinch of asafoetida -> this is a game changer btw). Close the lid and let it cook for about 15 minutes and then rest for 5-10 mins. Take out the bowl, adjust the water consistency if necessary, garnish with fresh coriander and you’re done. Optionally serve with microwaved or roasted papadoms on the side.

      Fast, easy, fuss free and healthy too.