Are you looking for a black lentils recipe? You know, the ones that look like caviar…that’s why they’re also called beluga…I can tell you how to make an awesome batch, but I encourage you to develop your own intuition in the kitchen to make every dish uniquely your own. After rediscovering the packaged foil pouches of Indian food at my local market, I was inspired to try making my own black lentils with red beans. You can’t beat the convenience of something premade, but maybe I wanted a big batch of something like their Madras Lentils?
So I googled and stumbled across The Wanderlust Kitchen for suggestions on the spices, which is what good Indian food is all about. Well, it’s not the only thing, but if I were to ever become vegan, I would definitely master some Indian dishes. Vegan just doesn’t get any better than that, in my opinion. The texture of the black lentils will satisfy any carnivore, so this is a great way to introduce them. Remember that it’s small changes repeated over time that make a difference.
After finding some black lentils at my local farmers market, I decided to try my hand at combining them with some small red beans. After soaking the red beans overnight and defrosting some stock I had put away in the freezer, I was ready to go. Of course you can use prepackaged stock, but the last time my freezer bag was full of veggie scraps, I cooked them overnight in my slow cooker with a chicken carcass and water. That, my friends, is some amazing stock and a perfect base for all kinds of things you might want to cook. Free flavor and zero waste cooking!
Getting Started
In a big pot, I heated some olive oil and sautéed some chopped onion, jalapeno, hatch chile and ginger root until the onions started to get golden. Minced garlic joined the party and then the stock and a handful of spices. Added the red beans and simmered for 2 hours, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
As you may know, my husband loves Southern style red beans and rice. So he got very excited when he saw me soaking them overnight. Quick to tell him that I was preparing them differently this time, the next day while cooking, he kept asking, “What smells so good?” Ah, he was hooked on the aroma. That’s a good start, but of course he wanted to mash some of the beans against the side of the pot like the Southern ones I make. So I agreed that would add a nice creaminess.
Cooking Time
After cooking for two hours and smashing an eighth of the beans, I added the black lentils and cooked another 25 minutes until they were tender. After tasting, I added a touch of tomato paste and a little salt. I must say that given all of the flavors going on here, very little salt was needed. In fact you could even skip it if you’re trying to reduce your intake. Just be sure to get all the spices, chile peppers and a quality, flavorful stock in there.
Once again, I want you to experiment in the kitchen and enjoy creating a dish that you and your family will love. So, I am not about recipes per se. I suggest ingredients and proportions to get you started cooking without a recipe. You take it from there! Add more liquid to make it saucier or cook the red beans another half an hour if you prefer them softer. Reduce the amount of jalapeno if you don’t want it so spicy. Add tomato sauce and/or cream for more creamy sauciness. Be sure to let us know how you make this red beans with black lentils recipe your own.
Ingredients for Black Lentils Recipe With Red Beans:
- 1 pound small red beans soaked overnight
- 7 cups stock
- 1 1/2 onions, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 hatch chile, chopped
- 2 inches of ginger root, minced
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 5 handfuls of black lentils (1/2 pound?)
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- salt to taste
- tomato sauce and/or cream?
How do you like this approach to cooking? Learn principles and proportions that you can adapt to your own needs rather than being shackled to a recipe. Please share via your favorite social media using the buttons below.