Arroz con Menestra (Lentil Stew with Rice)

March 16, 2010 | Filed Under Ecuadorian Recipes, Laylita's Recipes blog, Lentils, Rice 

Lentil stew

 

Okay.  So the rice is missing in the photo with the lentil stew, but we all know what rice looks like.  Right?

I always enjoy reading and then trying to prepare the Ecuadorian recipes that I see on Laylita’s Recipes.  This is another simple  recipe — Lentil stew with rice.   The lentils simmer with onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cumin and cilantro.  That’s about it.  According to Laylita, this is a popular dish in Ecuador.  It’s served with grilled meat (The full name of the dish is actually arroz con menestra de lentejas y carne asada — lentil stew with rice and grilled meat.).   Like Laylita, I substituted the meat with a fried egg.  Loved it!

Paz

 

 

Lentil Stew with Rice (Arroz con Menestra)
Laylita’s Recipes

 

 

Ingredients:

3 tbs canola oil

1 red onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

3 tomatoes, diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp cumin

3 tsp salt

1 tsp achiote

4 tbs chopped cilantro

7 cups of water

1 lb lentils

 

 

Preparation:

  1. Heat the canola oil on medium heat in a large sauce pan.
  2. Add the onion, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, cumin, salt, achiote and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro to make a refrito for the stew.
  3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the ingredients have softened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the water and increase heat to bring water to boil.
  5. Add the lentils and reduce the heat to medium low, cover partially and cook until the lentils are tender, stir in the remaining 2 tbs of cilantro and remove from the heat.
  6. Serve with Ecuadorian style cooked rice, carne asada o carne frita (fried thin beef steaks), fried ripe plantains or fried green plantains, and a small salad or avocado slices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • email
  • FriendFeed
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • Ping.fm
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Twitter

Comments

13 Responses to “Arroz con Menestra (Lentil Stew with Rice)”

  1. kat JAPAN
    on March 16th, 2010 at 7:42 pm

    comfort food!

  2. Cynthia Nelson BARBADOS
    on March 16th, 2010 at 11:14 pm

    This is very comforting.

  3. Dorit ISRAEL
    on March 17th, 2010 at 11:03 am

    yummmmmmmmmmmmm. i’m going to definately make this!

  4. Simona UNITED STATES
    on March 17th, 2010 at 3:28 pm

    It sounds and looks very nice, especially at lunch time (which here is now).

  5. Michele UNITED STATES
    on March 17th, 2010 at 7:12 pm

    Looks great! I am going to give it a go this weekend :)

  6. sra INDIA
    on March 21st, 2010 at 7:53 am

    The cumin is powder?

  7. Sophie BELGIUM
    on March 21st, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    What a superb meal this is!! :mrgreen:

    Very tasty too!

  8. Paz UNITED STATES
    on March 21st, 2010 at 10:42 pm

    hi everyone: Thanks for stopping by. Sra, yes the cumin is powdered form.

    paz

  9. Cooking INDIA
    on April 28th, 2010 at 9:22 am

    hiiiie
    Add the lentils and decrease the modify to transmission low, screening part and make until the lentils are crispy, agitate in the remaining 2 tbs of cilantro and shift from the modify……….
    …………
    hedden
    ……………………………

    Cooking

  10. Martina MEXICO
    on September 23rd, 2010 at 3:38 am

    Rice is one of the best things to combine with lentejas. Rice always gives the dishes a homestyle sensation. I don’t know such a lot of recipes to prepare rice or lentejas but I loved this recipe. I recently found a recipe that explains how to cook easily lentejas manteining their properties, vitamins and minerals. I would like to share the link: http://www.1001consejos.com/cocina/platos-fuertes/1309_lentejas/

  11. Paz UNITED STATES
    on September 25th, 2010 at 11:14 pm

    Thanks, Martina, for sharing this tip with us!

    Paz

  12. Nat MEXICO
    on February 1st, 2011 at 2:08 am

    Being a vegetarian this was one of my favorite dishes, accompanied with rice and fried plantians, in Ecuador. I love this recipe and use it as a dish for all my family and friends to try!

  13. Paz
    on February 1st, 2011 at 8:16 pm

    Hi Nat: I love this recipe, too. Tastes so good! Thanks for stopping by and sharing you comments with us.

    Paz

Leave a Reply