What goes with lentils: the best options for combining products

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Today, people are increasingly thinking about he alth and returning to their diet cereals and vegetables, undeservedly forgotten over the past decades. One such food is lentils. She practically did not appear on the table of a Soviet person and was successfully replaced by buckwheat, pearl barley and peas. No wonder young housewives know so little about what goes with lentils and how best to cook and serve them. In our article, we will consider the most successful options for preparing this cereal.

Queen on your table

Despite the fact that lentils did not receive the title of "Queen of the Fields" and were almost forgotten at one time, they have been eaten since prehistoric times. The ancient Egyptians baked fragrant nutritious bread from it, the Greeks used it as a protein-richgarnish, while the Romans often served it as a soup.

Today we add different types of beans to borscht, make vegetarian cutlets from peas or chickpeas, cook millet and couscous as a side dish, but we don’t even think about lentils. At the same time, she could greatly diversify any diet.

This cereal makes a hearty side dish, it is great for making cold salads, stews, cereals and meatballs.

Lentil varieties

Lentils come in many varieties and each one is used in different recipes. So, brown grits have a pronounced nutty flavor and complements stewed beef well. And the red one boasts a more piquant taste, and therefore is most often used in Asian cuisine.

The most neutral of all is green. If you are conservative in terms of tastes and do not know very well what lentils go well with as a side dish, start your acquaintance with the world of lentils with it.

Black groats have the French name "puy" and a savory taste. You need to cook it for a long time, but serve it correctly. But it is the only one of all types of this plant that practically does not boil soft and retains its shape after cooking.

Easiest lentil porridge recipe

Before you start cooking complex and multi-component lentil dishes, you should master the recipe for a simple porridge that can be used both as a side dish and as an independent dish.

Cooking cereal is easy, but it's not enough just to throw it into boiling water in the hope that the output will be fragrant, tastyfood. There are several tricks, thanks to which even the most fastidious gourmet will not refuse the received portion.

For one part of cereal you need to take three parts of water. Pour the lentils into cold water. After the future porridge boils, you need to s alt it and add two or three stars of anise, bay leaf, parsley and a few balls of allspice. These spices will give the lentils an unforgettable aroma and delicate taste. To make it easy to remove after cooking, place the seasonings in a small gauze bag.

Anise is what lentils pair with almost on a molecular level. If you cannot tolerate these fragrant seeds, you can substitute fennel or tarragon for them.

Add a piece of butter to the finished porridge, which will enhance the aroma and give the taste softness and richness.

Green lentils

And yet, not everyone agrees to chew empty cereals, no matter how tasty it may be. Today there is no shortage of products to choose from, so it can and should be used as a side dish for the main course. And it can be very, very diverse.

So what goes with lentils as a side dish? This primarily depends on the type of cereal that you decide to use. The most versatile of all varieties is green. It can be safely served with all types of meat and vegetables. In addition, this is the only lentil cereal that can be combined with fish. Both products will only benefit from such a neighborhood. Stewed, baked and even boiled seafood with lentils -great option for a nutritious dinner. Garlic or "white" cream sauce should be used as a dressing.

Hot dishes are not the only option for cooking green lentils. What is combined with this cereal in salads? First of all, with cheese and feta. Boil 50 grams of fragrant porridge, cool, add chopped sheep or goat cheese, some fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes - and a delicious snack is ready. Such a salad can be laid out in small portioned bowls or baskets of unsweetened shortcrust pastry.

Red lentils

In the market or in the supermarket today you can find cereals of almost all colors of the rainbow. All of it is, of course, useful and tasty. The red version of lentils requires more delicate handling. It boils quickly enough: its cooking time is about 20 minutes, while its other multi-colored counterparts need to be kept on fire for at least half an hour.

Because of this feature, it is red groats that are most often used in mashed soups and casseroles. It creates an incredible creamy texture that is difficult to achieve with other strains.

What goes with red lentils? Its piquant taste can draw attention when served with meat, so this type of side dish is usually used for all kinds of vegetable dishes. Sautéed with onions, mushrooms, eggplant and zucchini is a great plate-mate for boiled or stewed red lentils.

If you don't like a vegetarian menu, then try liver cutlets or differenttypes of smoked meat. It is desirable to serve this combination of products with a neutral salad of fresh vegetables.

Black lentils

Beluga is one of the names of black lentil groats. It is considered the most nutritious and useful of all varieties known to mankind. Such a product contains almost all vitamins and minerals, which, what is especially important, do not change their properties during prolonged exposure to heat.

The taste of black lentils is also interesting: it is spicy, full-bodied and has nothing to do with nuts, peas or legumes. This cereal is best suited to complex meat dishes of turkey, chicken, pork or beef with a wide variety of sauces.

Black lentils can lose some of their color when cooked for a long time, so culinary experts strongly advise steaming them for at least 40 minutes to preserve their color and taste.

Sandwiches with butter, tomatoes and cereals are considered a delicious cold appetizer. At first glance, small black beads are difficult to distinguish from caviar, but the taste will speak for itself.

Brown lentils

When buying grains, most people assume that they will get a boiled porridge that tastes like chickpeas or peas. This is fundamentally not true. What goes well with brown lentils? This cereal has the most nutty flavor. At the same time, its specific taste is practically indistinguishable in casseroles and cutlets.

Boiled pureed lentils should be mixed in a ratio of 1: 1 with any kind of minced meat, add an egg, finelychopped onion, form small flattened balls and roll them in breadcrumbs. A he althier variation of the cutlets can be baked in the oven at 180 degrees.

For lovers of a crispy crust, you can fry the resulting meatballs in a mixture of butter and vegetable oil. These cutlets can be served with any side dish, including all types of lentils.

Vegetarian Protein Bomb

Very often, people who, for some reason, adhere to a plant-based diet, suffer from a protein deficiency. This includes vegans, vegetarians, people with allergies to animal products, and fasting people.

Not all of them think about adjusting their diet and do not always count macronutrients that enter the body with food. However, the lack of certain substances can have an extremely negative impact on he alth. Protein deficiency can be immediately suspected by exfoliating or brittle nails, falling hair, swelling, and general malaise.

In this case, lentils can also come to the rescue. By the amount of protein, it is even ahead of tofu, beloved by many vegetarians. 100 grams of cereal contains 9 grams of protein.

What vegetables do lentils pair with? First of all, you should pay attention to all kinds of sautés and stews: stewed zucchini, eggplant and pepper seasoned with s alt, hot pepper, basil and tomato paste will perfectly set off the taste of lentil porridge.

The same set of vegetables can be grilled or baked in the oven. good lentilcereals and in combination with mushrooms fried with onions. Such dishes can be prepared in portioned clay pots: put two tablespoons of cooked vegetables on the bottom of the container, add 50 g of cereal, 150 ml of water or broth, 20 g of butter, a few anise stars and other spices to your liking. The dish should be cooked in the oven at a temperature of 180 degrees for about 45 minutes. The finished dish should be sprinkled with finely chopped herbs.

If porridge is not to your liking, then try fragrant lentil cutlets combined with stewed cabbage: this dish is not suitable for fasting, as it contains eggs, but it will perfectly diversify any family diet.

Take 100 g of cereal and soak for several hours in cold water. Grate 1 potato, carrot and onion on a fine grater and mix with lentils in the mixture, add the egg and spices to your liking. Form cutlets from the finished "minced meat", which can be rolled in breadcrumbs or flour and fried in butter. These meatballs are good with sour cream and fresh herbs.

Grup on rump and rump drives

There are people (especially children!) who are extremely skeptical about all kinds of vegetables and do not eat them. This is a sad statistic, but lentils have found their way to such fussy fads in the form of a dish with the Italian name "Fakorizo".

This is a fragrant lentil-rice porridge. For its preparation you will need:

• 1 cup long grain rice,
• 1 cup lentils,
• 1 garlic clove
• tablespoontomato paste or ketchup,
• 1 onion,
• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil,
• cumin and other spices to taste.

Rinse the lentils in cold water and boil until half cooked, finely chop the onion and garlic and fry in olive oil, mix all the ingredients, add cumin, rice and pour 3 cups of meat or vegetable broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to minimum and simmer for half an hour.

If for some reason you do not eat rice and are wondering what cereal goes with lentils, you can replace it with quinoa, wheat or even buckwheat without hesitation. All these dishes are prepared according to the single recipe described above and can be served both as a hot dish and as a warm salad.

Fragrant porridge at no extra cost

At first glance, it may seem that lentils are rather capricious cereals and not everyone can cook them. But this is an erroneous impression. In fact, it is important to know exactly what seasonings to add so that it sparkles with new colors.

What spices do lentils pair with? Unfortunately, spices such as s alt, pepper, garlic and onions, beloved and familiar to many from childhood, will not help here. Something more exotic is needed. However, today you can find everything you need in any supermarket.

Standard lentil seasonings include zuru or cumin, ground ginger root, saffron, turmeric, asafoetida, anise and nutmeg.

Full set in one plate

Lentils are tasty, he althy andfragrant cereal, which will provide you not only with vitamins, trace elements, but also satiety for a long time. It is easy to prepare and relatively inexpensive. Plus, you don't have to think long about what foods pair with lentils: almost everything.

Whether you cook beef or turkey, fish or pork ribs, fresh vegetable salad or steamed chicken, lentils go well with all these dishes.