Different cooking times for red and brown lentils?
I'm making dal for dinner tomorrow and am short some red lentils. I usually cook it for 25-30 minutes after everything's combined in the pot. Can I mix in some brown ones or are the cooking times different? I'm expecting so, since they're much bigger than the red ones.
Best Answer
You likely won't find a definitive answer out there, as there's a range of times for the lentils.
To summarize an article from the Washington Post :
- Red, orange or yellow split lentils : 15 to 25 minutes
- Black beluga lentils : 20 to 25 minutes
- French du Puy lentils : 25 to 30 minutes
- Brown or green lentils : 30 to 40 minutes
... suggesting that you'd need to add the brown lentils 15 minutes before the red lentils ... but you mentioned that you cook the red lentils for 25-30 minutes, suggesting that either you like them to fall apart, or you're cooking over lower heat. If it's lower heat, I'd give the brown lentils a 20 minute head start.
If that's going to put a crimp in your timing, I'd suggest starting the brown lentils in water (or some flavorful liquid), and cooking for 15 minutes while you're getting everything else together, then draining and adding them at the same time (or shortly after) the red lentils.
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Quick Answer about "Different cooking times for red and brown lentils?"
- Green and brown lentils: 35-45 minutes.
- Red split lentils: 15-20 minutes.
- Puy lentils: 25-30 minutes.
- Yellow lentils: 40-45 minutes.
- Green and brown: Ideal for warm salads, casseroles and stuffing as they tend to retain their shape after cooking.
Do brown lentils take longer to cook than red lentils?
Red lentils are tiny, reddish-orange legumes that cook quickly, making them a perfect ingredient for quick, healthy dinners. The flavor is mild, earthy and slightly sweet (compared to the stronger earthier flavor of brown and black lentils). Red lentils break down faster than other types of lentils when cooked.Can red and brown lentils be used interchangeably?
Red Lentils These take about 20 minutes to cook, and when the skin of the red lentil splits, it breaks down quickly, turning mushy. This is exactly what you want when dealing with daal or sauces in need of thickening, and are more or less interchangeable with the brown and green ones.Do different lentils have different cooking times?
Bring the pot to a boil. Then reduce to a very low simmer, cover and set your timer for 20-30 minutes. The cook time will vary slightly based on the variety: Green Lentils: 18-20 minutes. Lentils de Puy: 25-30 minutes.What is the cooking time for red lentils?
Be sure to use a large enough saucepan as the lentils will double or triple in size. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer until they are tender. For whole lentils, cook time is typically 15-20 minutes. For split red lentils, cook time is typically only about 5-7 minutes.The 5 Different Types of Lentils and How To Cook with Them
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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