BALKAN-STYLE LENTIL STEW
This Lentil Stew is a delicious and nourishing dish and a perfect vegan and vegetarian meal option. Made with traditional Balkan herbs and spices, it carries wonderful aromas. A hearty bowl of lentil stew is an excellent comfort food. The recipe is budget-friendly and easy to make.
HISTORY OF LENTILS.
Lentil is one of the oldest legumes known to to humankind. The first recorded reference to the stew was in the Bible when Jacob cooked a bowl of fragrant lentil soup for his brother Esau.
In some religions, the lentil grain has a symbolic meaning. For example, in Judaism, the round shape of the lentil represents the circle of life and is served at times of mourning.
Nowadays, lentils are cultivated in most parts of the world and are one of the most popular legumes. They are easy to grow and have highly-appreciated nutritional properties.
Lentil is a good source of proteins and fibres, low in calories but filling, and great for people trying to lose weight.
VARIETIES OF LENTILS.
There are four main varieties of lentils known today – brown, green (or puy), red (or yellow) and black. The most popular of which are brown and green lentils.
Brown lentil takes longer to cook, around 30-45 minutes. It’s great for stews and soups because it keeps its shape well. This is the most common type of lentil in the Balkans and traditionally used in this recipe.
Red or yellow lentil cooks quickly, only 15-20 minutes. It has mild and sweet taste but gets mushy when cooked. Red lentil is commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern dishes.
Green or puy lentil takes longest to cook. It has a lovely peppery taste and is perfect for making salads. Similar to brown lentils, green lentils keeps shape well.
Black lentil (referred to as beluga lentil) is not as common as the other varieties. It take roughly 25 minutes to cook and pairs well with meaty vegetables. The taste of black lentil resembles black beans.
HOW TO MAKE BALKAN-STYLE LENTIL STEW?
📋 INGREDIENTS IN THE STEW
Vegetables : For this recipe we need carrots, tomato, sweet pepper, onion, garlic and celery. Some recipes call for potatoes, while others substitute the potato with pumpkin. I don’t use any of them in my recipe.
Herbs & Spices: The most important spice in my recipe is the sweet paprika. I also add savoury spice or dried spearmint. Traditionally, the stew is served garnished with chopped fresh parley.
Stock: You can use water or stock in this recipe. Adding stock improves the taste of the stew.
📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Lentil stew is not a complicated dish to make if you follow these steps.
Step 1: Gather your ingredients
Remove damaged lentil grains and soak the lentils in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. Discharge the water and rinse it well.
Peel the carrot, onion and garlic. Remove the green pat ans the seeds from the sweet pepper. Dice the onion and cut the garlic, carrot, pepper and celery into slightly larger pieces. Peel and dice the tomatoes. Cutting the veggies into slightly larger pieces will give the stew a rustic appearance and texture.
Step 2: Saute the onion, garlic, carrot & PEPPER
Heat oil in the pot. Sauté the onion until translucent, then add the garlic. Stir and sauté for a minute to release flavour.
Add the chopped carrot and the sweet pepper to the pot. Sauté them until they are nearly soft.
Step 3. Saute THE paprika & Lentils
Sprinkle the sweet paprika in the pot. Stir to combine it with the other ingredients and sauté for 30 seconds. Make sure that you do not burn the paprika because it will add bitterness to the stew. Next add the lentils.
Step 4. Add the stock
Pour the vegetable stock in the stock and add the rest of the dry spices. Bring the stock to the boil. If your stock does not contain salt, add 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Stir the stew.
Reduce the heat and let the stew simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Keep the lid on to allow the flavours in the stew to blend. Fish a grain of lentils to check if the lentils are cooked.
Step 5. Add the rest of the ingredients to the stew
When the lentils are nearly cooked, add the finely chopped tomatoes and and the celery. Stir them into the stew. Simmer the stew for further 10 minutes.
Step 6. Make the stew thicker
Most likely, your stew will be too thin at that stage and you need to improve the texture by adding a thickening agent. In this recipe, I use plain flour as a thickening agent.
In a clean bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon of flour with a few tablespoons of stock from the stew. Use a spoon to break all lumps in the mixture, then stir it until the flour is integrated.
Pour the thickening mixture into the stew and stir well.
For a gluten-free version of the stew, use gluten-free flour to thicken it.
🍲 HOW TO SERVE LENTIL STEW
Serve the stew straight out of the hob, garnished with chopped fresh parsley and a splash of lemon juice. You can also add a dollop of yoghurt or cream to your bowl of stew.
Bon Appétit! 👨🍳👨🍳👨🍳
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Balkan-Style Lentil Stew Recipe
Equipment
- Stew pot
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups brown lentils
- 6 cups vegetable stock or water
- 8 garlic cloves chopped into larger slices
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1/2 sweet pepper chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon savoury spice or spearmint
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Let the lentils soak in cold water for 10 minutes. Peel and dice the onion. Chop the rest of the vegetables.
- Heat the oil and sauté the onion until translucent (2-3 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Sir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the chopped carrot and the pepper. Sauté until they are nearly soft.
- Add the sweet paprika to the salted vegetables, stir and cook it for 30 seconds. Pour the lentils into a sieve to dispose of the water. Rinse it well with clean water and add it to the pot. Stir to coat it in paprika and sauté it for a 1-2 minutes.
- Add the vegetable stock and the rest of the dry spices to the casserole dish. Bring the stock to the boil and simmer on moderate heat for 20 minutes until the lentils are soft. If your stock does not contain salt, add 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and celery. Simmer for further 5-10 minutes.
- To thicken the stew, mix 1 tablespoon of flour with 4-5 tablespoons of stock from the stew in a bowl and stir until the flour is integrated, then add it to the stew and stir. Let the stew simmer for 10 minutes. For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free flour.
- Serve the stew piping hot. Garnished the stew with chopped parsley. Serve it piping hot, with a splash of fresh lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.
