AI-generated image
Lentilles de Cilaos
Mountain lentils
Lantiy Silaos: Réunion's small mountain lentils simmered with onion, garlic, thyme and tomato
High in the volcanic cirque of Cilaos, farmers grow tiny brown-green lentils on terraces, and the whole island prizes them: they hold their shape, taste nutty and mineral, and turn up beside every kind of cari, with a mound of white rice and a spoon of rougail. The village holds a lentil festival each autumn, and a pot of lentilles is a fixture of family Sunday lunches across Réunion. Outside the island, use small French green or brown lentils, which behave in the same way. Don't let them boil hard; a fierce boil splits the skins and turns the pot into mush, so keep it at a gentle bubble. Chef's tip: take the time to brown the onions properly before the lentils go in, because that slow, sweet browning is what gives the sauce its depth.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 14 oz Cilaos lentils, or small green or brown lentilspicked over and rinsed
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 5 cloves garliccrushed
- ⅓ oz fresh gingercrushed
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 3 tomatoeschopped
- 1 green chillislit
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 handful flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (6)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat and fry 2 onions, stirring often, until deep golden brown and sweet.
12 minStep 2: Add 5 cloves garlic, ⅓ oz fresh ginger, 4 sprigs fresh thyme and ½ tsp ground turmeric and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
1 minStep 3: Add 3 tomatoes and 1 green chilli and cook until the tomatoes break down into a thick sauce and the oil glistens on top.
6 minStep 4: Stir in 14 oz Cilaos lentils, or small green or brown lentils and 1 bay leaf, then pour in 1.2 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer and partly cover.
5 minStep 5: Simmer, stirring now and then and adding a splash of hot water if it gets thick, until the lentils are tender but whole and the liquid has turned into a thick, spoonable sauce.
30 minStep 6: Stir in 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper and simmer for 2 more minutes. Remove the bay and thyme stalks, scatter with 1 handful flat-leaf parsley and serve with white rice.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lentilles de Cilaos take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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 garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sayur lodehVegetables in coconut milk
Sayur lodeh is everyday cooking in Central Java, made in big pots in Solo and Semarang kitchens and ladled over rice, with lontong rice cakes at Lebaran, or alongside opor and sambal goreng on festive tables. It's soupy rather than thick: a fragrant broth of coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass and lime leaf that carries chunks of aubergine, long beans, chayote and sweetcorn, plus tempeh and tofu to make it a meal. The flavour is mellow and slightly sweet, so the heat comes from sambal on the side. Chef's tip: keep the pot at a gentle simmer once the coconut milk goes in and stir now and then — a rolling boil splits the coconut milk into oily curds.
Indonesian
Chana masala
A North Indian staple that comes together from the store cupboard. Toasted cumin, slow-softened onion and a good spoonful of garam masala give tinned chickpeas real depth. Serve with rice, naan or a stack of warm rotis.
Indian
Bagara bainganBaby aubergines in peanut sesame sauce
Bagara baingan is a Hyderabadi wedding dish of small aubergines cooked whole in a dark, tangy gravy of roasted peanuts, sesame, dried coconut and tamarind. Unlike a Gujarati stuffed brinjal, the aubergines here are only quartered at the base and fried until silky, then left to soak up a thin-but-rich sauce that is finished with a tempering, the 'baghar' that gives the dish its name. It's sour, nutty and gently spiced, and is served with biryani, bagara rice or plain rice. Chef's tip: choose small, glossy purple aubergines that feel heavy for their size; soft, light ones are full of seeds and turn mushy before the gravy has a chance to cling.