Preparation Time: 1 hour
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
| 1 | Cup | Lentils |
| 1 & 1/2 | Cups | Rice |
| 2 | Medium | Tomatoes, cubed |
| 1 | Medium | Onion |
| 2 | Cloves | Garlic, minced |
| Small | Ginger, grated | |
| 2 | Tsp | Coriander & Cumin Powder |
| 1/4 | Tsp | Turmeric |
| Salt to Taste | ||
| 1 | Tsp | Chili Powder |
| Few | Saffron Strands | |
| 2 | TBsp | Oil |
Directions:
- Wash lentils thoroughly.
- Soak lentils for a couple of hours.
- Soak rice for half an hour.
- In a frying pan, heat the oil and sauté onion, garlic and tomatoes.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients.
- Add lentils and let them cook for 10 minutes. Do not over cook lentils. Set them aside.
- Prepare rice with a little salt. Set rice aside.
- Now in a flat glass pan, layer lentils at the bottom and add layer of cooked rice on top.
- Repeat by adding another layer and then another.
- I usually top it with saffron. You can add butter, clear butter of ghee but this will add more calories, also. Bake for 20 minutes at about 200º.
Tips:
- To use Saffron in a proper way, I warm it up for 10 seconds in a glass container in the microwave so that the moisture is dried out. Make a powder with a pestle. You can also add a few drops of milk.
Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below! I love to hear from my readers!
Lentils are low in calories and high in nutrition. Eating them at least once a week is a great way to add the health benefits of these tasty legumes to your diet.
Heart Health
Studies have found that people who eat high fiber legumes like lentils have a much reduced risk of heart disease. The high levels of folate and magnesium in lentils also go a long way in protecting the heart.
Stabilize Blood Sugar
Due to their high fiber content, lentils help in regulating blood sugar by providing steady, slow-burning energy and balancing blood sugar levels.
High in Iron
Lentils are loaded with iron and are a great way to replenish the body’s iron stores, especially for people who don’t eat red meat like vegans and vegetarians.
B Vitamins
Lentils are a great source of B vitamins, most notably folate and niacin (B3). B vitamins are important for the healthy functioning of the nervous, digestive, and immune systems.
Lower Cholesterol
Lentils are a great cholesterol lowering food due to their high levels of fiber.
Protein Packed
Protein makes up 26% of the calories in lentils and they have the third highest level of protein than any other plant food. It’s no wonder that they’re a staple in many parts of the world.
