Lentil’s come in a variety of sizes ranging from extra small to large. The most common found lentils on grocery store shelves are large green lentils and split red lentils. When we use the word split to describe a lentil it means that the seed coat around the lentil has been removed and the inner part of the lentil (known as the cotyledon) has been split in half. Split lentils cook faster than whole lentils and are excellent for use in puree, as where whole lentils tend to work better in salads.
The picture below shows whole red lentils (top left), split red lentils (top right), whole green lentils (bottom left), and split green lentils (bottom right).
One of my favourite lentil recipes is from Yelman. I shared a “tinnish” about Yelman in an earlier blog “A little bit of this…”
Here is a Atere kiki wat recipe or split green lentils with the spicy flavor of berbere.
Atere kiki wat is a vegetarian dish which can be prepared with oil for lent and can be served at lunch or dinner, hot or cold with injera or bread.
This is my adaptation to Yelman’s recipe.
1 cup yellow lentils 250 mL
3 cups water boiled 750 mL
3 Tbsp canola oil 45 mL
1 red onion, chopped 1
1 tsp salt 5 mL
1 garlic clove, minced 1
1 Tbsp Berbere 15 mL
2 tomatoes, chopped coarsely
pepper to taste
1. Wash lentils and add to boiling water. Cook until soften for about 30-40 min. Drain any extra water.
2. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add canola oil and bring to temperature. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and reduce heat to low. Add salt and continue to cook until soften. Add berbere spice.
3. Add cooked lentils and tomatoes. Combine together. Add water if sauce is too thick.
4. Season with pepper.
5. Serve warm or cold with injera. I eat it with rice.
Berbere spice is a blend of spices. Each family would have their own special blend. A traditional recipe has fenugreek, chillies, paprika, with ground ginger, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, allspice along with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder.
You can make your own or just buy it at Dino’s in Winnipeg. Roberta Galbraith, the Manitoba Canola Growers Members Relations staff person, loves to add berbere spice to her devilled eggs. It’s her family tradition.
You can find out more about lentils at Manitoba Pulse or Canadian Lentils.
Find out more about our Ethiopian Community.
Another great lentil recipe:
Another favorite lentil recipe is from Ragavan Iyer. I had the pleasure of meeting Raghavan and working with him on a project. He is a passionate man about his culture and food. He loves to share and is an amazing teacher. Ragavan has written many cookbooks and has received many culinary awards.
Check out his website www.raghavaniyer.com for more great recipes and information.
Watch Ragavan make his Yellow Lentil Dahl and view a Red Lentil recipe below.
Red Lentil Dahl
Culinary Professional and cookbook author Raghavan Iyer. This recipe is from his recent cookbook 660 Curries.
In a saucepan combine:
1 cup red lentils 250 mL
3 cups of water 750 mL
Bring to boil and then simmer until water is absorbed and texture is smooth. Keep an eye on these.
3 Tbsp canola oil 60 mL
1 tsp cumin seeds 5 mL
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 1/2
2-4 cloves garlic, minced 2-4
1 Tbsp ginger, grated 15 mL
1 tsp turmeric 5 mL
1-2 chilies (you decide how hot you like it) 1-2
1-2 tomatoes, chopped 1-2
handful of cilantro, chopped
salt to taste
1. In a medium skillet over medium high heat add canola oil and heat. Add in the cumin seeds when the oil is hot – they should sizzle. Watch not to burn the seeds.
2. When they turn red-brown and turn aromatic, add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilies. Turn heat to medium and allow to cook slowly until very soft (8-10 min).
3. Add in turmeric and tomato. Stir to combine. Allow flavors to combine over med-low heat for another few minutes and then add cilantro.
4. Add lentils to skillet and mix well. Heat through. Serve immediately over rice or with Naan bread.
