VEGAN COOKING TIPS
Cooking with Lentils and Split Peas
By Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD
Lentils are the quick-and-easy branch of the legume family. The brown and green varieties can be found in mainstream supermarkets and are very good at holding their shape. Other lentil varieties, in black, orange, red, and grey, are also available in specialty stores. The different colors have different tastes and textures when cooked. This can be important, depending on what you'd like your lentils to do—present themselves whole, in a savory stew or melt into slow-simmered soup.
Lentils can be prepared more quickly than other beans or legumes, since they do not need to be soaked. Before rinsing lentils, you should spread them out to check for, and remove, small stones or debris. Before cooking, always rinse lentils thoroughly.
To cook, use three cups of liquid for each cup of uncooked lentils. Bring the lentils and liquid to a boil, turn down the heat to simmer, and cover. Green and gray lentils usually take about 30 minutes to cook. Lighter-colored lentils, such as the orange and red, may take only 15 minutes.
Lentils taste great right out of the pot, especially with a sprinkle of chopped parsley or black pepper. Add hot lentils to rice, pasta, and pasta sauce or, when cooled, to salads. Here are some more lentil ideas:
- Combine cooked lentils and chopped bell peppers to make a chilled salad. Season with your favorite Mediterranean herbs and spices.
- Toss cold buckwheat noodles with cooked lentils, small broccoli florets, and chopped scallions. Dress with olive oil mixed with garlic and ginger.
- Create a Moroccan lentil soup by adding diced seasonal vegetables flavored with coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne.
- Make lentil stew with cooked lentils, chopped fresh or canned tomatoes, sliced or chopped fresh mushrooms, diced potatoes or elbow pasta, and seasoned with basil, oregano, and parsley.
Split peas are available in the popular green color, in addition to yellow and orange. Soaking split peas in advance shortens the cooking time, but isn't mandatory. Unsoaked peas take approximately one to two hours to cook on the stovetop, while soaked split peas take about 40 minutes. If split peas are soaked for longer than 12 hours, they can lose their flavor and texture, so don't soak split peas overnight.
For soft, flavorful split peas, rinse peas under cold water. Place the peas into a medium-sized pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer for about 35 minutes or until tender.
Suggestions for serving split peas includes:
- Split pea soup is a classic, as is Purée Mongole (Mediterranean split pea soup), a split pea soup combined with chopped tomatoes.
- Dahl is an omnipresent South Asian side dish, made by sautéing cooked split peas with garlic and onion; then seasoning with ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and lemon juice; and simmering until slightly thickened.
- Preparation for mushy peas varies from family to family and region to region. Sometimes adding baking soda to the soaking water helps soften the peas. The Scandinavian version can include mashing cooked split peas with flour and vegan butter, while the British version may not use additional ingredients, only the mashed peas.
- If you have time to create a snack, crispy split peas can be made by soaking split peas for about four hours, draining, patting dry, and then frying in oil until crispy. Season with cumin or chili powder.
