"Ready to eat" lentils

corblimey

I'm doing a new recipe this weekend, kofta curry from Jamie Oliver. The first ingredient though is something called "ready-to-eat" lentils. I have no concept of that idea. Where am I likely to find them in my local Tesco/Dunnes? Are they processed or fresh? Surely all lentils are 'ready to eat'?

The most important question though is do I need them? They're mushed up with mince and other spices to make the koftas, but are they necessary. Any one got any ideas what they add to a dish?

Mrs Fox

It's the microwaveable lentils he's talking about, particularly puy lentils which are widely available in Tesco.

I assume they add texture, tastiness and nutrients to the kofta.

Alun

Canned lentils are pre-cooked and as such usually require little more than reheating in any dish I've used them in. Googling the term also returns pictures sachets of lentils, looking much the same as the ones that ready cooked microwaveable rice comes in so maybe that's what is meant. Personally I'd just use canned ones and make sure to wash and drain them thoroughly first.

corblimey

So I'm likely to find cans or packets in the canned food aisle?

Alun

Cans of lentils would be in amongst all the other canned beans (kidney-, butter-, cannelini-, chick-peas etc.) I wouldn't know about the packets, I'd never even heard of them until today

CJhaughey

cans in my area.
Although to be fair lentils take very little time to cook.

corblimey

Ok, so if I can't find the pre-cooked variety, I guess I can pick up a (bunch?) in the veg aisle and boil them up before using them.

Thanks all!

Dizzyblonde

corblimey wrote: »

Ok, so if I can't find the pre-cooked variety, I guess I can pick up a (bunch?) in the veg aisle and boil them up before using them.

Thanks all!

You'll get a bag in the dried goods aisle, and they usually only take about 20 minutes to cook.

rubadub

I see the recipe here, and as I guessed its one of his fast meals from the 15min book

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/beef-kofta-curry-with-fluffy-rice-beans-peas/

So he might be going for these solely for speeding it up. Ready cooked rice costs a lot more and I expect lentils will too.

If it was in his cooking meals on a budget book/program he'd probably be saying, "only use dried lentils, only a mad geezer would pay over the odds for the ready cooked stuff!"

corblimey

Good point, rubadub. The 15 minute book sort of annoys me with these unnecessary shortcuts, cos there's no way you could conceivably do most of the recipes on your own inside 15 minutes anyway. Maybe there should be a "15 minute recipe in 30 minutes" book

katydid

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

You'll get a bag in the dried goods aisle, and they usually only take about 20 minutes to cook.

Nearer forty, I find.

By the way, a little tip. If a recipe calls for Puy lentils, just get lentilles vertes, they are the exact same thing. Puy is only a name for the green lentils that come from the area of Puy in France. Tesco do cheap lentilles vertes.

Miaireland

I normally find those pouches in the health food section of Tesco rather than with the beans etc. Near the gluten free or organic stuff. They tend to be low down or up high on the shelf rather than at eye level in my experience.

katydid

Miaireland wrote: »

I normally find those pouches in the health food section of Tesco rather than with the beans etc. Near the gluten free or organic stuff. They tend to be low down or up high on the shelf rather than at eye level in my experience.

That's right. Black packages. They tend to be already flavoured, which wouldn't really work if you want to use them in a curry or whatever.

Mrs Fox

katydid wrote: »

That's right. Black packages. They tend to be already flavoured, which wouldn't really work if you want to use them in a curry or whatever.

You should find the plain ones next to it. My local Tesco and Supervalu have them.

katydid

Mrs Fox wrote: »

You should find the plain ones next to it. My local Tesco and Supervalu have them.

My local Tesco have done away with the packets and now have a kind of dispenser in the fruit and veg section, where you fill plastic tubs with lentils, chickpeas, couscous etc. Very suspicious of it; I suspect it's a ruse to charge you more for the same thing.

corblimey

I couldn't find them anywhere except in the canned food aisle, and just marked as lentils (in water). They seemed to add a bit of texture and variety to the koftas. Overall, not a bad dish if anyone wants to try it, although all 6 koftas broke up while cooking. The biggest surprise for me was the curry sauce that accompanies it. It was very tasty, and now I know how to make a decent cheap curry sauce that will be as hot as I like it. Next time, all the chilis

squonk

Any chance you'd post the recipe you used Corblimey? The Curry sauce sounds intersting!

oleras

squonk wrote: »

Any chance you'd post the recipe you used Corblimey? The Curry sauce sounds intersting!

Post#9 i think.

2 heaped teaspoons Patak's rogan josh curry paste
Read more at http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/beef-kofta-curry-with-fluffy-rice-beans-peas/#lXFHfgUzzAeZ4zA9.99