If you’re looking for a healthy and affordable ingredient to add to your cooking repertoire, look no further than brown lentils. These little legumes are packed with protein and fibre making them a great choice for anyone looking to eat a more balanced diet. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at what brown lentils are and how to use them in your favourite recipes.
About Brown Lentils (Lanti Nwar)
Brown lentils are a type of legume that has been cultivated for thousands of years. They are native to the Middle East and now grow in many parts of the world. Lentils have played an important role in the diets of many cultures throughout history, from the ancient Egyptians to the Indians and the Greeks.
This might be confusing but the Mauritian Kreol name for brown lentils is actually “lanti nwar”. Indeed, this translates to black lentil in English. But black lentil (also known as beluga lentil) is actually a completely different species of lentil.
Production
Brown lentils are produced in many different countries, including India, Turkey, Canada and the United States. Some popular brands of brown lentils include Bob’s Red Mill, Arrowhead Mills and Eden Foods.
In fact, lentils are relatively easy to grow, and they don’t require a lot of water or fertiliser. As a result, they are an eco-friendly and sustainable choice for farmers.
Cooking with Brown Lentils
Brown lentils are incredibly versatile and can be used in a wide range of dishes, from soups to salads. To cook lentils, you’ll need to rinse them thoroughly in cold water and then boil them in water or stock until they’re tender.
Depending on the recipe, you can add spices, herbs or other flavourings to the lentils to enhance their taste. Typically, these lentils take around 20-30 minutes to cook, but you can speed up the process by soaking them overnight.
There are many different recipes that you can make with lanti nwar. Some of the most popular include lentil soup, lentil salad, lentil burgers and lentil curry. Furthermore, lentils are a great meat substitute and can be used in place of ground beef or chicken in many recipes. They’re also a great source of protein and fibre, making them a filling and nutritious ingredient.
Alternatives to Lanti Nwar
If you don’t have brown lentils on hand or don’t like their taste, there are several alternatives you can use in your recipes. Green lentils, Red Lentils (Lanti Rouz) and black lentils are all great substitutes.
In addition to those, you can also use chickpeas, kidney beans and black beans. Just bear in mind that they all have different cooking times. And will contribute different flavours and textures to your final dish.
Favourite Recipes
Here are some of our favourite recipes using lanti nwar.
Lanti Nwar (Mauritian Brown Lentil Soup)
