Back in the days… to now! Over time, recipes and ways of turning lentils into snacks and meals have evolved and developed. Our fore parents made tasty, simple dishes using red, black, green and yellow lentils that had mouths watering and stomach growling. These included the pholourie, where the soaked lentils were ground and mixed with flour before frying to serve as an appetiser. This scrumptious morsel has become an appetiser for birthdays, family gatherings, poojas or just a snack on any given day. Another snack or appetiser that is a known Guyanese speciality is fried lentils. This inventive way of enjoying lentil has been to flavour it with spices and pepper and fry it, making it a snack that can be used at anytime during the day.
Khichri. This simple dish made of mainly rice and lentils was made by our fore parents and served many purposes, but the real beauty of this one-pot dish is the vast number of people it can feed, how easy it is to prepare. It guarantees satisfaction after eating. This was a regular dish in the logis and many Indians still make this one-pot dish for their families. Many older Guyanese may know the term “Dal Plantain”, yet many of us are wondering “What?!” Well, Dal Plantain is a simple and commonly known soup made by our parents and their parents and generations before them and has lived to the modern age to tell the tale of its flavour and medicinal wonders. Its two main ingredients are lentils and plantains and it’s made into a rich soup/ broth. Our grandparents swear that this soup helps the sick to recover their strength and feel energised in no time.
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This is mainly due to all the nutritional value derived from lentils. Logie life had simple, but fulfilling and delicious lentil dishes. But as the years go by, creativity with meals has ensued a variety of ways to prepare lentils. Guyanese are now experimenting with lentils in different dishes and bringing a more contemporary Indian feel to their authentic Indian meals, such as: Dal Makhani - smooth, creamy butter gravy of Black lentils and beans, Dal Tadkewali - yellow lentils cooked with chilli and yogurt and Dal Palak – yellow lentils cooked with spinach. So the next time you want a simple and convenient meal that is both healthy and tasty, then think of Lentils! With lentils always in your kitchen there are a variety of ways to turn this small legume into a large meal that will satisfy all.