Spiced Lentils and Rice

This is a “throw it all into your rice cooker and walk away” recipe. I’ve recently started experimenting with putting foods other than rice into the rice cooker, and I love not having to watch over it as it cooks. The one I own is a super-cheapie Black & Decker with two settings, Cook and Warm. I’m not exactly thrilled with its performance, so I suggest getting a more expensive, fuzzy-logic type of rice cooker if you can afford it. If not, the inexpensive ones work well, though I’ve found that I absolutely have to spray or brush the bottom of mine with oil, or it spits viscous, white droplets out of its vent-hole as it cooks, covering my upper cabinets and counter tops with rice spittle. A tiny bit of oil keeps it from foaming. I don’t know if that’s a problem with all Black & Deckers, but it keeps me from wholeheartedly recommending the one I have.

In this recipe, the lentils soften and become almost “meaty” because they cook more quickly than brown rice. I like the texture, but if you prefer the lentils to retain their shapes, try following the variation and using more lentils than rice. Note that this dish is “spiced,” not spicy: cinnamon, cloves, and cumin give it a warm, rich flavor, but no heat.

       Print Recipe    

Spiced Lentils and Rice

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup brown rice (brown basmati is good)
• 3/4 cup lentils
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
• 6 cloves
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt (optional)
• 1/4 cup minced parsley
• Squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients except parsley into the rice cooker. Add water according to your rice cooker’s instruction manual or use 4 cups of water. Stir and set to Cook. When the cooker shuts off, check to make sure both rice and lentils are tender and no water remains. If they are not tender, add 1/4 cup more water and restart. (This shouldn’t be necessary, but rice cookers do vary.)
2. When done, remove the cinnamon and cloves, fluff the rice, and add the minced parsley. Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice, if you like.

Notes

To cook it on the stovetop, follow the same directions, but increase the water to 4 1/2 cups. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, and cook on low until water is absorbed, about 45 minutes.

Variations

You can reverse the measurements of the lentils and rice to make this a more lentil-centered dish.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s) | Cooking time: 45 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Tagged as: eat-to-live, gluten-free, Ridiculously Easy, soy