Lentils are one of the healthiest foods we can find in our local market. This vegetarian staple is inexpensive, available all year-round, and packed with numerous valuable nutrients. However, when we think of lentils, we only picture them as a soup. But lentils are actually very flexible and can be enjoyed in many different ways. In this article, we discuss the health benefits of lentils and describe how they taste. Then we go on to list five of the best ways we think you might enjoy them.
What are the Health Benefits of Lentils? The nutrition website healthline.com lists B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and potassium among the most notable nutritional contents that lentils you’ll find in lentils. In addition, they work as an excellent alternative to meat, since they are packed with high contents of protein and iron. A scientific study published in Spain found out that lentils contain antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuro protective benefits. Another study proved that lentils help improve blood sugar levels. They even contain properties that lower the risk of heart diseases, according to this research published on the National Library of Medicine.
What are 5 Great Ways to Enjoy Lentils? Soups – Let’s start with the most basic one which we are already familiar with. The subtle taste of brown lentils make them perfect for making soups. But any other variety will work just fine. Lentils soups are very flexible. You may start by sauteing onions and garlic in some oil. You may then add the lentils and broth, or simply water. You may jazz up your soup by adding some more vegetables. We suggest some zucchini, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. Lastly, what you season your soup with is up to you. Our suggestion is salt and black pepper, bay leaves, and parsley. Others prefer to add cumin, thyme, and basil. This lentil soup is great for a rainy day.
Salads – This is where the green variety really shines, because they’re the sturdiest and hence able to retain its shape and mixes well with other ingredients. First step to a great lentil salad is boiling the lentils in broth (or water), along with other spices such as garlic, lemon peel, celery, thyme, and bay leaves. Once cooked and drained, mix it with your preferred salad ingredients. Popular salad ingredients go very well with lentils: cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, parsley, and lettuce. Lemon dressing is what goes best with this salad, in our opinion. You may just mix lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, garlic, salt, and black pepper and shake them in a jar. Pour the dressing over your salad, then toss.
Spreads – Unknown to many, you can make a great lentil spread that you can eat with crudités, tortilla chips, or bread. You may also use it for making sandwiches and toasts. You may use any lentils here, either cooked or canned. Other ingredients are sun-dried tomatoes, tahini, soy sauce, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon juice. Juice mix all the ingredients in a blender or food processor until it’s smooth. And that’s it. You may keep this spread refrigerated for up to a week.
Dal – this dish is a staple of South Indian cuisine. Dals are a thick, rich stew that uses different types of legumes, lentils one of them. The process is easy: cook the lentils in broth or water. Other ingredients include tomatoes and onions. And of course, what’s key to a delicious dal are Indian spices such as mustard seeds, turmeric, curry, ginger, cilantro, and garam masala. Dal is best enjoyed with roti or rice.
Meat Substitute – We have said at the top of this article that lentils are an excellent meat substitute as they contain the nutrients that meats have: high amounts of protein and iron. You may use it to make Bolognese sauce for pasta. Another way to use lentils as a meat substitute is by making burgers with it. Similarly, lentils are a great to base ingredient for vegan meatballs, tacos, shepherd’s pie, and burritos. The possibilities are endless.
Conclusion The list above is not exhaustive. There are more creative ways to incorporate lentils into your daily diet. And why not, they are packed with numerous health benefits, and taste really great.
Recipe contributed by Juan Palacio
Every year, on the first day of the Tamil month of Aadi, தேங்காய் சுடும் பண்டிகை (Coconut roasting festival) / thengai sudum pandigai is celebrated in many parts of Kongunadu especially in the areas of Namakkal, Erode, Salem and Dharmapuri. Its a very unique celebration that happens only in Kongunadu and not in the rest of Tamilnadu. Here is a brief of how the coconuts are prepared. The coconut is thoroughly cleaned and all the outer fiber layers are removed. Once the fibers are removed the three black spots can be seen. Its called as the three eyes of the coconut. One of the eye is punctured and the coconut water is drained. A mixture of beaten rice, lentils and jaggery is stuffed inside the coconut through the puctured hole. The drained coconut water is added back and the coconut hole is closed with a stick. A special stick called அழிஞ்சில் குச்சி / ஆழி குச்சி (Aali sticks) is used for this purpose. A thick paste of turmeric is applied on the coconut and our coconuts are ready for roasting. The coconuts are fire roasted for about half an hour until its totally charred. The coconuts might blister while roasting. A brief prayer and offering called padayal (படையல்) is made. Then the coconuts are broken and the inside mixture is mixed with the roasted coconuts and served. The slight smoky coconut along with the cooked beaten rice and jaggery is so delicious.
Here is a video of Rajan from my cousins farm describing about the festival.
Here is how you can make it at home. Remove all the coconut fibers from the coconut. The three black spots / the eyes of the coconut should be visible.
Using a sharp object like a screw driver, puncture one of the eyes of the coconut with a hammer.
Drain all the water from the coconut. Make sure that the hole / puncture is wide enough for us to stuff beaten rice and lentils.
There are a lot of things that you can stuff the coconut with. The traditional ones are listed below.
Take about two tablespoon of each of the above said items and stuff the coconut. use a chopstick or a stick to push the rice and lentil and the jaggery mixture. Basically fully load the coconut. If you want a little sweet mixture, add a little extra jaggery.
After fully loading the coconut, gently pour some coconut water in the punctured hole.
Close the hole using a stick. I have used three chopsticks as that is all I could find at home and since 2020 is under lock-down, did not venture out and we did a roasting on the kitchen stove. Make sure that the coconut is completely covered and tight. Soaking the chopsticks in water for a couple of hours will help in preventing them from catching fire when roasted.
Mix a little turmeric with water and apply as a paste all over the coconut.
Place the coconut on the stove on a very high flame.
Roast until completely charred. It will take about 25-30 minutes. The coconut might blister while roasting and its completely ok.
Keep turning once in a while.
Once completely charred, remove and set aside to cool.
Break open the coconut and gently remove the stuffing and the coconut pieces. It should come off easily.
Chop the coconut into bite size pieces.
Mix it with the stuffing.
The charred coconut is so delicious.
Fantastic coconuts are ready!
Enjoy with family and friends.
