I was on the phone with my mom a few weeks ago, brainstorming ideas for new recipes to work on. We talked about doing a series on Assyrian fasting and feasting, and my mom gave me a list of about 15 amazing ideas. But when she suggested lentils and rice, I have to admit, I sort of hesitated to add it.
How am I supposed to convince people that they need a recipe for something so familiar? Furthermore, how can you even write a recipe for something as simple as throwing a few basic ingredients together? The next weekend I flew to Chicago to visit my family, and as I watched my mom make lentils and rice, I realized how wrong I was to even consider forgetting it.
Never be deceived by simple ingredients! The simpler the ingredients, the more carefully and thoughtfully they need to be prepared. This recipe only has four real ingredients, but it’s not just a matter of stirring everything together; there are a few important techniques to keep in mind.
The two keys to perfect lentils and rice
1) lots of rinsing
The key technique for this recipe is lots and lots of rinsing. You rinse the lentils both before and after you cook them, you rinse the uncooked rice, and you rinse the pot before adding everything back in for a final steam. If you don’t rinse, an olive-beige scum will cover everything. This creates a (somehow simultaneously!) gritty and gummy texture and unappealingly homogenous color.
2) perfect timing
The other key to this recipe is timing. You don’t want to add everything together at the same time because rice and lentils cook at different rates; if you get the timing wrong, one or the other (or both!) will turn to complete mush. This recipe has you covered on all accounts. There’s nothing but perfect lentils and rice ahead.
lentils and rice | niskeh ou riza
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound brown or green lentils
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cups boiling water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils and sort through them for little pebbles. Cover with about 3 inches of water in a medium stock pot.
- Turn the heat to high. Once the pot of water and lentils comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium and boil uncovered for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- While the lentils are cooking, rinse the rice until the water runs clear and set it aside. *
- Start testing the lentils for doneness around the 10 minute mark. The lentils are ready once they are unpleasantly al dente. You should be able to chew one (it should be somewhat soft), but it should still be gritty and mealy.
- Once the lentils are ready, strain them and rinse them until the water runs clear. *
- Use a damp paper towel to wipe down the sides of the pot that you cooked the lentils in until the scum is completely gone.
- Add the olive oil to the pot, turn the heat to medium and add the diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens (about 5 minutes).
- Add the lentils back into the pot, along with the rinsed rice, kosher salt, and 3 cups boiling water. Stir together and shake everything out into an even layer.
- Turn the heat to high. Once the water comes back up to a boil, cover, lower the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. Do not look inside the pot while the lentils and rice are cooking.
- Once 15 minutes have passed, open the lid, do not stir the lentils and rice, and take a taste. If they taste done, cover, heat for another 30 seconds, and then turn the heat off, keeping them covered.
- Keep the pot covered for another 10 minutes after you’ve turned off the heat.
- After 10 minutes of resting, fluff the lentils and rice with a fork and serve.
Notes
* To do a more environmentally-friendly version of the rinsing steps, you can rinse by adding water to the pot, swishing things around, straining, and repeating a few times. This uses less water than just rinsing in a colander over the sink.
I made this recipe twice so far and it’s always a winner! Instead of rinsing the lentil pot, I just use another pot since I figure it’s the same amount of water either way. I also made it with 1/8 cup of oil the second time and didn’t notice any difference. Even though it’s only 4 ingredients, this dish definitely tastes like it has a lot more. Thank you for sharing!!
Oh for sure, totally feel free to use another pot instead! I’m just "allergic" to doing dishes and always try to help people cut back on the number of things dirtied in pursuit of food haha. And that’s so perfectly put (only 4 ingredients, but tastes like more!). Hope you keep enjoying and experimenting w/ variations!
Any adaptation recommendations for using brown basmati rice?
Yes absolutely! Just make sure you par-cook the rice too (like you did with the lentils). Unfortunately, I haven’t developed a recipe this way, so it’ll take a bit of experimenting to get the timing right. You want to boil the brown rice separately until it’s "pleasantly al dente" kind of like the lentils. Then strain and steam everything together as in the recipe. Wish I could give you exact times and everything, but if you taste everything as you go, it should work out great. Hope you enjoy!
Hi, can replace the basmati rice with jasmine rice?
Yes absolutely! Any long-grain rice will do.
I greatly appreciate your attention here to texture. When reheating this dish, as I don’t have a microwave, what method would you suggest?
Ooh that’s a great question! Microwave is definitely easiest/best (for anyone else reading this answer and wondering), but you can totally reheat them on the stove too.
Just take a very small saucepan, place a couple tablespoons of water in it, and bring to a simmer (careful not to let it evaporate dry). Then add a couple servings of lentils and rice on top of the little bit of water, do not stir, cover, and cook over medium-low heat just for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, keep it covered, and let it coast for 5 more minutes.
Hope that helps! 🙂
Always wanted to make lentils and rice at home! I grew up without it, discovered it in a Mediterranean restaurant, and my life hasn’t been the same since. Twenty one years of waiting! Now I’m going to try your recipe! My kitchen smells heavenly. So excited. Thank you!
Aw I’m so, so glad!! No one should be without lentils and rice for 21 years haha
How would I just cook the lentils with your method so that it is tender and “fluffy”? to throw on greens etc?
That’s a wonderful question! Actually, when it comes to preparing lentils, I prefer to boil and then strain/rinse them. It depends on the variety you’re cooking with, but it should take about 20 minutes total (package instructions aren’t always accurate, so make sure you test them often). Cook them until they’re fluffy on the inside and no longer mealy, but before they start falling apart. After about 10 minutes, they’ll soften but they’ll still be mealy on the inside, and eventually they’ll become almost fluffy on the inside (like with the lentils and rice). The key is to stop cooking them at this point, or they’ll eventually get soggy and overcooked. Hope that helps! <3
Hi Katie! This is the first recipe I’ve tried of yours. I love your explanations of why a particular ingredient is cooked in the way it is, in the order it is, as well as the “hard knocks experience” tips you give for those new to the kitchen (i.e., wipe out the lentil scum). Congrats again and always on making such an incredible resource of your skills and passion for “the rest of us!” -Liz
Aw it’s so nice to hear from you Liz! I assume LR, since you called me Katie 😉
You’re so sweet to say such kind things, and I’m so glad you enjoyed this one! <3
My mother-in-law makes lentils and rice with small pieces of stew meat, and all-spice. Then she makes a thick tomato sauce with finely diced onions, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and a splash of white vinegar to top the lentils and rice. The sauce makes it!
Wow that sounds so good and unlike any lentils and rice I’ve had! Sounds absolutely delicious!