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Red, green and crushed lentils: what to cook
Red and crushed lentils for shorbet adas, green for mujaddara and 3adas bi 7amod: how the three lentils on our shelves differ and what to cook with each.
Three kinds of lentils (3adas, عدس) sit side by side on our legumes shelf, and they do not always stand in for one another. Whole lentils keep their shape; split and crushed ones fall apart into a soup. Pick by the texture you want.
Red lentils: soft and quick
Red Lentils (3adas a7mar, عدس أحمر) are small, hulled and split, orange-red, and soften into a smooth, creamy texture. They need no soaking: rinse them well and simmer, usually for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Shorbet adas. Soften onion in oil with cumin, add the rinsed lentils and water or stock, and simmer until they fall apart. Blend or whisk until smooth and serve with lemon wedges and, if you like, toasted bread.
- Also: stews, purées and fillings.
Crushed lentils: the other soup lentil
Crushed Lentils (Adas Majroush) (3adas majrouch, عدس مجروش) are lentils broken into smaller pieces. They cook down quickly and soften, so they are a common choice for shorbet adas too, and for thickening stews. Rinse them, then simmer with onion and spices.
Green lentils: whole, for dishes that hold their shape
Green Lentils (3adas a5dar, عدس أخضر) are small, flat and whole, with the skin on, so they keep their shape once cooked. Rinse them; they do not usually need soaking.
- Mujaddara. Whole lentils cooked with rice or with coarse bulgur such as
Thick Brown Burghul, topped with onions fried slowly until deep brown. Every family has its way: some cook it to a soft, creamy mash, others keep the grains separate, a version often called mudardara. - 3adas bi 7amod. Lentils cooked with Swiss chard, potato, garlic, coriander and plenty of lemon juice, eaten at room temperature with olive oil.
- Rishta. Lentil soup with strips of flat noodles.
- Salads: cooled lentils with herbs, lemon and olive oil.
Which lentil for which dish
- Smooth soup: red or crushed.
- Mujaddara, 3adas bi 7amod, rishta and salads: green.
By the kilo
All three are sold loose by the kilo. Bring a clean, dry jar; here is how refilling works. For the bulgur in mujaddara, see Fine or coarse bulgur.