Syrian Spiced Lentils with Caramelised Red Onions

This is a fantastic way to spruce up lentils.  This is a satisfying dish with bags of flavour, it's very more-ish.  It has lots of cumin, coriander (cilantro) and garlic, so it's always going to be good!  Thankfully there is a little leftover of this batch for tomorrow. Phew.  It reheats really well, so can be made in advance and warmed up before serving.  Once cooked it will lst in the fridge for a few days.

We had this tonight with some pan-fried fish, some beetroot, walnut & cannelini puree and some green beans.  It was awesome, if I do say so myself!...


Don't forget to season it well at the end of cooking, it massively brings all the flavours to life.


Oh, and if you know of any great lentil recipes please leave a comment below.  I'll try them out and post the results.  Thanks.

FOR RECIPE CLICK BELOW:
Lentils

Serves 4  - Prep Time 15mins - Cooking time 40-60mins

6 tbs olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 rounded tsp cumin seeds, roughly ground
125g fresh coriander, chopped and stalks set aside
250g small brown or puy lentils
1.75 litres water
a squeeze of lemon
sea salt and black pepper


For the caramelised onions:
300ml sunflower oil
2 large onions, halved and sliced as thin and even as possible (we recommend using a mandolin)


To make the caramelised onions, heat the oil in a large saucepan until very hot. Add enough sliced onion to make one layer and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Towards the last stages of cooking, a lot of stirring will be required to help the onion cook evenly. When golden in colour, remove the onion with a slotted spoon, draining as much of the oil as possible back into the pan and spread out on kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining onions.


Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of the oil over a medium heat. When it is hot but not smoking, add the garlic and cumin and fry for a minute or two until golden. Stir in the coriander stalks, followed by the lentils, water and half the caramelised onions.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 40-60 minutes or until the lentils are soft and start to mush, becoming sauce-like.
Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander leaves, the remaining olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Season with salt and pepper, and taste. Serve warm or at room temperature with the remaining caramelised onions on top.

This came originally from a Moro's recipe published in The Guardian newspaper.   I love Moro's!..
In their recipe, they used Puy or brown lentils.  You can use Green, like I have here.  It's best not to use red or yellow lentils for this as it will be watery.  They are better used for soups, dhals and flours.
Rather than complete mush, these lentils still keep some texture when cooked.

This has to be tried.   Definitely one to repeat many times!