How would you spice this?

[cos]

Basic recipe:
- Put lentils in pot of boiling water and simmer about 15min
- Sauté some onion & garlic (and maybe other stuff)
- Add rice to sauteed stuff and stir to coat rice in oil
- Pour in the pre-simmerred lentils, and a bunch of broth
- Keep simmerring about 20min, adding more broth as it evaporates

I've done this several times with some variations, like:
- Sauté mushrooms, peppers, and/or prosciutto w/onion+garlic
- Add frozen peas near the end
- Chicken broth, homemade vegetable broth, other brothlike things

... and, different combinations of spices. But I won't say which so as not to bias anyone. Which spices would you use with this? (Let me know if you read others' comments before posting yours)

Comments

[beah.livejournal.com]

Mmm, yes, this, I forgot to say it in my response.

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

Zatar

[beah.livejournal.com]

Mmm, zatar! I have to find some around these parts - I haven't had any since I went to Israel when I was 15.

[rdhdsnippet.livejournal.com]

Cumin :)

[cos]

Heh. Yup! That happens to be one of the few spices I've so far used every single time I've made this :)

Though I am looking for some promising non-cumin combinations to try...

[marphod.livejournal.com]

I'd use a dark broth (chicken or beef; using marrow bones, and the like).

For vegetation or meat, sky's the limit. This is a fairly neutral base (i.e culinary glue), so you could add cured and uncured (pre-cooked) meats, reds or whites or dark. Steaming fish or shellfish over the lentils would also work. You could mix in veggies from artichoke hearts to zucchini and pretty much anything in between.

Spices should match whatever you are adding. I'd probably stick to earthier flavors (cumin, turmeric, oregano, parsley, seeds, bay leaves) over fruitier (sweet basil, cilantro, juniper) for herbs and spices. And stay away from traditionally sweet spices (anise, cinnamon/cassia, nutmeg).

its not really a simple question.

[cos]

Oh I know it's not simple. So many possibilities. That's why I posted. I'm looking for spice combinations I might not have thought of.

I didn't read others' comments first

[beah.livejournal.com]

I would try roasted red peppers and eggplant for a sort of middle eastern style, or maybe raisins and cinnamon and lamb for a sweet/savory style, or Indian spices for a more daal-like dish.

Re: I didn't read others' comments first

[cos]

I love this and definitely intend to try your ideas! I wish to subscribe to your newsletter: How would you roast the peppers and eggplant and combine them into this recipe? What spices would you use for the raisin/lamb version? Can we make this together somtime? :)

[dpolicar]

Salt and pepper, certainly.
Bay leaves.
Marjoram, savory, maybe oregano.
Chunks of spiced meat.

[wendolen.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I forgot bay. I put bay in just about everything simmered, though.

[pikake.livejournal.com]

depends on what kinda mood you are going for or what kind of ailment you are curing or what kind of spices you have on hand. :)

my lentils taste different everytime i make them, basically.

my favorite lentil recipe that is rather tried and true, and that i could pass on to you if you wish, involves two pinks of guinness

[cos]

Do you remember some of the variations of lentils you've made and what you put in them?

[some-kitten.livejournal.com]

I'd be inclined to head the mulligatawny route, adding premixed "curry powder" or maybe garam masala, turmeric, etc, asking the internet for help. I'm not super experienced at cooking any Indian cuisines, but for some reason that's what "lentils" is saying to me today.

[imvfd.livejournal.com]

Just yesterday I made something similar to this with thyme, oregano, and tarragon. All salt came from the veggie bullion soup base. Some diced carrots and tomatoes went into it. Simple and tasty.

[(Anonymous)]

Lots of coriander, and also salt & pepper, no matter what. Curry/garam masala/just plain cumin would compliment it well. Skipping that, I'd probably do a touch of nutmeg and a touch of cayenne, and a lot of thyme, to compliment the coriander.

Have not read comments yet. :)

[wendolen.livejournal.com]

bah, that was me!

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

Principally: Cumin and coriander. Extra garlic. Salt and pepper. Some chili powder, a little turmeric.

Maybe some commercial curry powder, only I don't like curry all that much. Unless I'm also putting in sweet potatoes, in which case curry becomes Awesome.

[tornadogrrrl.livejournal.com]

(from martin)

cumin, tumeric, thyme and oregano are sure bets, which easily leads into just using an indian curry blend. drop the cumin/tumeric for a lighter flavor. celery in with the onions is good. diced carrots and potatoes thrown in at the same time as the rice will turn into tasty bites. tomatoes and lacinato kale for a finishing touch 5-10 minutes before it's done. spinach would do just as well. anise, cardamom and/or garam masala could make for an interesting direction, but i would have to have the smells in front of me to know how to finish that correctly. black pepper shouldn't be avoided, nor jalapeños or other spicy peppers. i want to say there could be a rosemary-y version of all this, but i can't quite imagine it...

[roamin-umpire.livejournal.com]

This is fairly close to my usual lentil soup/stew. I would probably throw some celery in with the onion and garlic, and I would use LOTS of garlic. Spices would be salt, pepper, cumin, celery seed, and some cayenne (or, if I had them, whole dried chiles). I've had good luck with caraway seeds in my beef stew, and I've been meaning to try them in the lentils for a while now.

[roamin-umpire.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've also done this with LOTS of basil. It's tasty. And I forgot bay leaves - I remembered when I read the comments.

[dani-namaste.livejournal.com]

With something like that, my standby is tomatoes with a bit of garam masala and cilantro and a bit of extra cinnamon. Or Ras Al Hanout for a bit of Moroccan flair.

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

My first thought would be to spice it with cumin, coriander, and throw in a little lemon juice
or with some more curry-like spices (including turmeric or blended curry powder) and then the frozen peas would be nice

or with black pepper and thyme when mushrooms and peppers and/or prosciutto are involved.

[lakmiseiru.livejournal.com]

I'd consider adding some ginger to the onion and garlic sauteeing step, as well as some whole cumin and black mustard seeds. Maybe sautee and then simmer a few chunks of potato, perhaps even sweet potato, and consider throwing in some peas as well. Actual spice-wise, I'd probably add cumin, a pinch of coriander, salt, pepper, chili powder, maybe a little turmeric, and maybe a tiny touch of cloves. And consider serving with a dollop of sour cream or plain yoghurt on top.

(and no, I didn't read anyone else's)

[glib-dichotomy.livejournal.com]

I'd make a mix of the juice of one lemon, the zest of that lemon, olive oil, and some rice wine/white balsamic vinegar, and a pinch each of dried basil, thyme, sage. When everything is cooked, toss the liquid, dressing the lentil/rice like salad. Tangy! Good cold and hot.

[cos]

Rereading some of the comments, I'm puzzled by this one: "When everything is cooked, toss the liquid" - there's never any actual liquid left when I do this, but it's not salad-like either - it's in a thick sauce.

[klingonlandlady.livejournal.com]

Ethiopean: lots of butter, mitmita powder, fenugreek, other ethiopean spices.
Indian: Clove, garlic, curry spices, coconut cream.

[abilouise.livejournal.com]

Cumin and a tiny bit of cinnamon.

[porfinn.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...well...I'm very fond of thyme and bay leaf (though, not necessarily together since, I think, they are from the same family). And I consider the broth to be an essential "spice" (mushroom broth might be nice, but I'm a big fan of a very good, quality chicken broth). I think, I would stick to a European savory quality: so thyme, (maybe some dill) good salty chicken broth, some celery greens, some parsley and some bay leaf. That's just what I am in the mood for right now.

[iamlisabee.livejournal.com]

I read through the comments before posting this, but I already knew what my answer would be.

Cumin, Coriander, and Tumeric.

Mmm! Khichdi!

[pseydtonne.livejournal.com]

I haven't read anyone else's comments before I wrote this.

I'd put in some cumin or other kicky spice. Lentils are wonderful and hearty, but they can be drab. They're already a starch, so they'll help to absorb some of their spicings. Toss in a couple hot peppers cut into eighths, with the seeds left out.

If you're not looking for hot, then put in some nutmeg and a little rosewater. You'll get an interesting mouth feel, something silky.

On a totally unrelated note...

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

::points to the calender and squees::

Re: On a totally unrelated note...

[cos]

Which calendar? *looks around...*

not reading others first

[cutieperson]

garlic, salt, pepper, preserved lemon. i'm also keen on a bit of tomato in lentils, but those aren't in the spice category.

[blk]

I make my lentil soup with sage and a tad bit of cayenne pepper, along with some sauteed sausage. Also, bird broth instead of water, and add in chunks of carrots.

The time I made it with goose broth was -fantastic.-

[cos]

I'd never heard of "bird broth", but Google suggests it just means broth of any poultry?