Lentil power
LENTILS are one of the oldest known human food crops, with a history dating back 8,000 years. Since then, they have become a staple food in many cultures around the world. The lentil itself is the seed part of the plant known as lens culinaris. Lentils come in various hues, which includes green, black, yellow, orange, red and brown.
Don’t let this unsuspectingly simple-looking food fool you. It is highly nutritious which is why it is a regular item in my shopping cart.
One cup of cooked lentils provides 230 calories and 18 grammes of protein. That’s equivalent to the protein in three eggs!
It’s kind to your waistline too, with only one gramme of fat and zero cholesterol.
NUTRIENT POWERHOUSE
Lentils are also high in fibre. One cup of cooked lentils gives you 16g of fibre. The Malaysian Dietary Guidelines recommend that you have 25g of fibre a day for good health. A cup of cooked lentils provides 64 per cent of your daily fibre requirement!
The type of fibre in lentils is the soluble kind and this helps to lower high levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and triacylglycerol (which is a form of fat in your blood). It also helps to increase HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
Studies show that eating lentils regularly as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and inflammation.
Lentils also contribute various vitamins and minerals for your overall good health, most notably folic acid, manganese, thiamin, potassium and copper.
The Malaysian Dietary Guidelines recommend that we have one serving (one cup) of beans or lentils each day.
Lentils are an economical protein-rich food, costing just a fraction of the price of meat. This makes it a bargain ingredient to boost protein and fibre content in meals. When my family and I went trekking in Nepal recently, the “superstar” of our meals was dhal bat, a dish made from lentils. It was simply nourishing and gave us the energy needed to trek to the Annapurna Base Camp.
You may have also noticed that lentils can be turned into flour. Lentil flour is a gluten-free option that you can use in recipes for those who have celiac disease or are gluten intolerant.
Like all busy people, most of us like to cook simple fast meals. You’ll be glad to know that lentils take only 15 to 25 minutes to cook. Plus unlike dried beans, they don’t require soaking in water beforehand.
Dry lentils may sometimes have small stones or bits of hardened shrivelled lentils.
Before cooking, spread the lentils onto a tray and give it a once over to discard any bits like that. Then rinse them well in a colander under running water. When I was a child, my mum would make me do that. It was her way of making me sit quietly and not run around while she cooked!
One slight discomfort about lentils is that it can cause gas and flatulence because of the raffinose and oligosaccharide carbohydrates in them. Soaking lentils in water and rinsing the water off will help lessen theo li go less ensaccharide, hence in gt he gas- producing culprit.
When cooking lentils, you can also add a herb called asaalso foetida powder, which reduces gas discomfort.
On a culinary note, do not add salt or acidic ingredients such as tomatoes or vinegar until after the lentils are cooked. This is because salt and acidic ingredients will make the lentils tough and prolong the cooking time if these ingredients are added too early while cooking.