Rice and lentils with cinnamon – a delicious pantry meal

Much of today´s German cuisine is mediterranean or oriental inspired. This one-pot dish of rice and lentils with cinnamon, however, is not widely known in Germany. Though it should be!

For another lentil recipe, follow this link to red lentil stew with cumin.

Rice and lentils – a common combination in many cultures

The combination of rice and lentils is common in many countries, and is a very good idea. Not only do they match well in terms of taste, but also in terms of nutrients, especially proteins. So one-pot dishes from these simple pantry staples are typically a main dish, often meant to stand alone as a main course. But of course you can also have them as side dish.

This dish of rice and lentils with cinnamon, for example, goes particularly well with chicken. Alternatively, I recommend trying it with white cabbage (fried) or hokkaido pumpkin (fried or baked). And of course, some fresh salad is always a refreshing and healthy additition!

A very simple, but delicious recipe I got from an Ethiopian lady

In Germany, for whatever reason, it is not common to combine lentils and rice. So this is a recipe that I came across when I worked at a particular church that ministered not only to the residents of the adjacent city district, but also to foreigners from all over the city. There was a summer party every year that included a pot-luck dinner with food from all of their countries (mainly the eastern Mediterranean/Near East and north Africa). And there was a lady from Ethiopia who would always bring her rice and lentils one-pot. As simple as it was – it was one of the most popular dishes!

Besides being healthy and tasty, it is also quick, cheap and entirely made of pantry staples. So let´s get to the recipe without any more words!

Recipe for rice and lentils with cinnamon

We had this dish just with some coleslaw and tomatoes, but of course you can also have it as a side dish e.g. for chicken.

Ingredients (for four adults, or two adults and 2-4 children)

Powdered, salted vegetable stock – 3 heaped teaspoons

Wholegrain rice – 375 g

Brown Lentils – 250 g (you can soak them for 12 hrs which reduces their cooking time to 15 minutes but you can also just cook them longer)

Cinnamon – 1 heaped teaspoon

Water – 1,75 l (1750 ml)

Onions – as many as you like. I take 4 medium brown or red onions.

1 teaspoon of honey

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 tablespoon of butter

Instructions

1. Bring the water to a boil and add the dried vegetable stock (replacement: plain salt)
2. Add the lentils and cook them for 20 minutes. If you have pre-soaked them or if you bought pre-cooked lentils, omit this step! I assume that the recommended cooking time of your lentils is 35-40 minutes. Please check on the package of the lentils you bought. Then figure out their cooking time of your step 2 by adding it to step 3!

3. Cut the onions into rings.Leave them for later.

4. Add rice to the lentils. Stir so it does not form a lump at the bottom of the pot. Stir once every few minutes. At the end of the cooking time the rice and lentils should have soaked up all of the water, so check if some more water is needed or if they need to cook a little longer.

5. Heat the olive oil in a pan, then add the onion rings. Fry them for a few minutes until they are soft and brown, but not black. You don´t necessarily want them crispy, so use medium heat. When they are done, add a teaspoon of honey and stir it in gently. Take off the heat.

6. When the rice and lentils are done, add the butter and cinnamon and stir in thoroughly, but gently so the food does not become mushy.

7. Put on a plate, garnish with the fried onions.