Nov 25

Nov 25 Lentil Stew

Soups & Stews, Dinner, Beans Peas and Lentils

Creamy lentils and crisp, spicy kimchi meld together to make a simple hearty, and versatile stew.

Lentil Stew

Serves 4 - 6

Hearty, long-simmering soups and stews are by design, comforting and satisfying. After the anticipation during the cooking, the first bite is always perfect. This lentil stew is one of my favorites to make. It is filling, healthy and delicious.

Kimchi is a main flavoring in this stew and it may seem odd but trust me. As it cooks down, the kimchi mellows and gives a similar glutamate boost and flavor profile that canned tomatoes would but with the addition of adding a hint of spice. since moving to Korea it is one of my favorite secret ingredients for soups as canned tomatoes are not always available.

“Recipe Tips:

1. You can replace the kimchi in the recipe with a 15-oz can of crushed tomatoes.

2. This is a great soup to use leftover proteins and vegetables in. Add the chopped protein and veggies to the soup in the last 10 minutes of cooking to heat through and serve!”

Ingredients

24g (7 medium) dried shitakes, rinsed

200ml (1 c) water

Soup Base

3 T olive oil

360g (2 c) carrots, .25 in dice

380g (2 medium) onion, 0.25 in dice

100g (0.50 c) celery, .25 in dice

8 garlic cloves, minced

2 dried bay leaves

2 t kosher salt

335g (about 1.25 c) well fermented cabbage kimchi, .25 in dice

2 t sugar

Herbs and Spices

2 t ground cumin

2 t dried parsley

1.5 t ground coriander

1.25 t dried thyme

1 t ground black pepper

0.75 t dried rosemary, crushed

0.50 t ground sancho pepper or Sichuan pepper - optional

Soup Finishing

1,800ml (9 c) water or broth

454g (1 lb) brown lentils, rinsed

3 T soy sauce

1.5 T doenjang

Recipe Know-how

1. In a medium microwave-safe bowl place the water and dried mushrooms.

Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
Remove and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to soak at least one hour.
After soaking, squeeze the liquid out of the mushrooms.
Reserve soaking liquid.
Finely chop the mushrooms, removing and discarding the stems. Set aside.

2. In a cold, large pot place the oil, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, bay leaves and kosher salt.

Place over medium-high heat.
Saute 10 – 15 minutes or until the vegetables are just beginning to soften.

If the vegetables begin to stick, lower the heat to medium and continue cooking.

Add the kimchi and sugar.
Cook 3 – 5 minutes longer or until a fond begins to form on the bottom of the pot and the liquid has evaporated.
Add the herbs and spices and cook 1 minute longer.
Deglaze with the mushroom soaking liquid being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot well.
Add the lentils, soy sauce, doenjang and remaining water or broth.
Stir for 1 minute to dissolve the doenjang.
Cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered for 90 minutes stirring occasionally.

I cook the stew for a long time so the lentils are beginning to break down, however, after 45 mins, the lentils are cooked through and the soup can be served.