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Adasi
Brown lentils with onion and cumin
عدسی · Brown lentils with onion, cumin and golpar for breakfast
Adasi is the winter breakfast of Iran's cafés and university canteens, ladled out early in the morning in Tehran, Tabriz and Mashhad from big pots that have bubbled since dawn. Whole brown lentils are cooked soft with turmeric and onion until thick and spoonable, then finished with cumin, a little golpar (ground angelica seed), black pepper and lemon. It is eaten with warm barbari or sangak and sweet tea. The common mistake is cooking it at a hard boil, which leaves the skins split and the soup grainy rather than velvety. Chef's tip: mash a ladleful of lentils against the side of the pot at the end; it thickens the adasi without any flour.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 9 oz brown or green lentilsrinsed
- 5 cups water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp black pepper
To serve
- 1 lemoncut into wedges
- 1 tsp dried mint (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat. Fry the 2 onions for 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden at the edges. Stir in the 1 tsp ground turmeric and cook 30 seconds.
10 minStep 2: Add the 9 oz brown or green lentils and the 5 cups water, bring to the boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Cover with the lid slightly ajar.
5 minStep 3: Cook for 30–35 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are completely soft and beginning to break down. Add a splash of hot water if it becomes too thick to stir.
35 minStep 4: Stir in the 1 ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground golpar (angelica seed) and ½ tsp black pepper. Crush about a quarter of the lentils against the side of the pot and simmer 3 minutes more, until thick like porridge.
3 minStep 5: Serve hot in bowls, sprinkled with 1 tsp dried mint if you like, with 1 lemon wedges to squeeze over. Warm barbari or sangak is the usual partner; use a gluten-free flatbread if you need to.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does adasi take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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