🇵🇪 PeruCatalog recipe
Red lentils simmered down with carrot, tomato and cumin into a thick, deep-orange stew, ladled over rice — the Monday lunch that shows up in kitchens across Peru without fail.
For 4 servings.
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Warm the olive oil in a large pot and soften the onion, garlic and carrot over medium heat for 6 minutes.
Stir in the cumin and paprika and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the canned tomato, red lentils, stock and salt, and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 22 minutes, until the lentils have broken down into a thick, spoonable stew.
💡 Red lentils lose their shape fast — if the pot looks too thick, loosen with a splash more stock.
Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
Ladle over rice and finish with cilantro.
Lentejas — eaten on Mondays by old superstition tied to luck and money — are one of the most cooked legumes in Peruvian homes, prized for being fast, cheap and filling. This version leans on red lentils, which break down into a thick stew without the long soak brown or green lentils need. It is built to be spooned over rice, never eaten on its own.
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Nothing here yet — questions about technique, timing, and substitutions all welcome.