Lentil Stew, anyone?

[snowdragon]

I have been trying to eat more meatless meals. One thing I have fallen in love with is the Lentil Wrap that a local restaurant makes. It's a very thick version of their Lentil Stew. But I can't find a recipe for Lentil Stew that has rice and ginger in it. Those are the two ingredients that I can identify but I can't figure what else one would use with Lentils.
  Any one got a recipe they don't mind sharing?  Thanks

[Outdoor Girl]

I don't have a recipe but maybe you could try one of the recipe sites that allows you to type in the ingredients and it spits out recipes that contain them.  So you could type in lentils, rice and ginger and see what shows up.

[sweetonsno]

I have been trying to eat more meatless meals. One thing I have fallen in love with is the Lentil Wrap that a local restaurant makes. It's a very thick version of their Lentil Stew. But I can't find a recipe for Lentil Stew that has rice and ginger in it. Those are the two ingredients that I can identify but I can't figure what else one would use with Lentils.
  Any one got a recipe they don't mind sharing?  Thanks

I found this one: http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/recipes/2008/july/lentil-and-ginger-stew

Is it curried? Is it a dal type thing? Mulligatawny? More of the French style, but with ginger and rice?

I'd use onions and garlic as a base (cooked in neutral oil), then add your dried spices. It will stick. Toss in the grated fresh ginger, which will stick as well. Pour in the lentils and stir to try and scrape up some of the stuff. Then add some chopped tomatoes, which will also stick. Stir vigorously to get the sticky stuff up and then add your water. Let it simmer until it's done, and a bit beyond. Depending on the type of rice you use, you can either pre-cook it and add it to the pot later, or toss it in during the cooking process. Then taste to check for seasoning.

[Ceallach]

I love lentil stew but I don't have a recipe. I throw lentils in a pot full of water with some brown rice (half as much as the lentils) and lots of mixed herbs and seasoning. Gentle on the salt though as lentils retain that flavor very well!  I add diced onion (1-2), Garlic, then anything else that takes my fancy. But I like dishes fairly simple so don't tend to put too many different veges in.  Sometime I use stock for better flavoring. 

Sorry I know that's not much help! But if you find a great recipe please share, lentils are one of my favorite dishes for dinner.   

[Luci45]

http://macrobiotic.about.com/od/bean1/r/kitchari.htm

Sounds dreadful! But I think I looked at about 50 recipes and this is the only one with ginger.

I just use cooked lentils, spinach, onion, (I don't like celery) and herb bullion and love it. Sometimes I add diced ham or kielbasa, but you said you wanted vegetarian, so I guess you need the rice to complete it.

I would suggest you just start experimenting. As long as you taste as you go along so you don't overdo the spices, the results will be edible. I stumble onto my best recipes that way.

[blarg314]

Try searching for dhal recipes (the Indian name for lentils). A quick google search for "dhal ginger" brings up pages of recipes.

For a thick lentil and rice dish, I'd be tempted to make the two parts separately. Make the dhal, which can be fairly soupy, and then add in cooked rice and let it set, which will give you something much thicker.

When I cook lentils, I usually start by sauteeing diced onions until golden, adding in diced or crushed/grated ginger and garlic for the last few minutes. Then the spices, to cook them well, then the lentils and water. Then at some point I might stir in something like chopped tomatoes, or cilantro, or other seasonings.

In Indian cooking asafoetida is often used for lentils. It's very pungent smelling (a strong, oniony scent), but mellows when cooking, and is supposed to be good for preventing flatulence.