Recipes
Lemon-Infused Lentil Rice
The Silver Platter - Simple to Spectacular Page 206
3 Cups water
1 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed and drained
2 cups lightly salted water
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 can (540grams chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro (optional)
Dressing:
1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest
juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin (optional)
additional parsley or cilantro
Method:
1) In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil over high heat. Add lentils, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 30-45 minutes, until lentils are tender but not mushy (See Norene's Note's below).
2) In a second saucepan, bring 2 cups lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Stir in rice; reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.
3) In a large wok, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onions for 10-12 minutes, or until nicely browned.
4) Add lentils, rice ,chickpeas and parsley. Mix well; remove from heat.
5) Dressing: In a medium bowl, combine ingredients for dressing. Pour over rice mixture; stir to combine.
6) Transfer to serving bowl; garnish with parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Norene's Notes:
- Cooking time for lentils will vary, depending on age and dryness of lentils. If your water is very hard; cook them in bottled water or they will be slow to soften. Also, dont add salt to the cooking water or the lentils wont soften.
- Short on time? Substitute 1 can (540ml) lentils, rinsed and drained. Rinsing them well under cold water will cut the amount of sodium in half.