Lentil Stew with Oil and Cumin
A thick stew of brown lentils melted in olive oil, flavored with onion, cumin, and coriander, finished with a drizzle of raw oil. Comforting and earthy, it is soaked up with barley bread. This is everyday cooking, simple and generous.
A thick stew of brown lentils melted in olive oil, flavored with onion, cumin, and coriander, finished with a drizzle of raw oil. Comforting and earthy, it is soaked up with barley bread. This is everyday cooking, simple and generous.
Not every day is a bull day, mortal. Most of the time, it is the lentil pot that steams on your hearth — and that is well, for it fills the belly of the poor as well as the priest. Sauté the onion in my oil, throw in the lentils and water, season with cumin, and let it simmer until everything melts. Sop it up with your bread, and give thanks: my rain has made even the humblest seed grow.
- •Brown lentils — one measure (base of the dish)
- •Onion — one, sliced (aromatic base)
- •Olive oil — generous (cooking and finishing)
- •Cumin — a pinch (spice)
- •Coriander seeds — a pinch (spice)
- •Sea salt — to taste (seasoning)
Lentil Stew with Oil and Cumin
A thick stew of brown lentils melted in olive oil, flavored with onion, cumin, and coriander, finished with a drizzle of raw oil. Comforting and earthy, it is soaked up with barley bread. This is everyday cooking, simple and generous.
Why this dish? In daily life, the followers of Baal — like the entire Canaanite Near East — lived on legumes far more than meat. Lentils, simmered in the olive oil that the god's rain makes flow from the olive trees, were the hearty dish of ordinary days, placed in the center of the mat and eaten with bread.
Not every day is a bull day, mortal. Most of the time, it is the lentil pot that steams on your hearth — and that is well, for it fills the belly of the poor as well as the priest. Sauté the onion in my oil, throw in the lentils and water, season with cumin, and let it simmer until everything melts. Sop it up with your bread, and give thanks: my rain has made even the humblest seed grow.
Ingredients (period version)
- Brown lentils — one measure (base of the dish)
- Onion — one, sliced (aromatic base)
- Olive oil — generous (cooking and finishing)
- Cumin — a pinch (spice)
- Coriander seeds — a pinch (spice)
- Sea salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Brown or green lentils — 250 g (base of the dish)
- Onion — 1 large, sliced (aromatic base)
- Extra virgin olive oil — 4 tablespoons (cooking and finishing)
- Ground cumin — 1 teaspoon (spice)
- Ground coriander seeds — 1/2 teaspoon (spice)
- Water or broth — 800 ml (cooking)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Sauté the sliced onion in olive oil until golden.
- Add cumin and coriander, stir for 30 seconds to release the aromas.
- Pour in the rinsed lentils and water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat.
- Simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until the lentils are tender and the stew is thick; season with salt at the end.
- Serve in a bowl, drizzled with raw olive oil, with barley bread for dipping.
How it was made : Lentils are among the oldest cultivated plants of the Fertile Crescent and were a major source of protein for Canaanite populations. They were cooked for a long time in an earthenware pot placed on embers, seasoned with onion, garlic, and available spices. The famous biblical story of the 'mess of pottage' testifies to their central place in regional cuisine.
The contemporary twist : Top the bowl with crispy fried onions and a spoonful of plain yogurt — a nod to contemporary Levantine mujaddara.
Baal · Charactorium
