Introduction to Lentils Lentil cooking knowledge

Lentils are a poisonous vegetable, so they must be cooked before eating, otherwise you may easily get poisoned.

Lentils

Also known as 藊豆 (Tang Materia Medica), tea bean (Jiangsu Plant Medicine Records), southern bean (Luchuan Materia Medica), small sword bean (Sichuan Chinese Medicine Records), etc., it is a cultivated species of the Fabaceae family, Lablab genus, a perennial or annual twining vine, and the young pods or mature beans are edible.

Lentils are rich in nutrients, including protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, dietary fiber, provitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, cyanogenic glycosides, tyrosinase, etc. Lentil skins are particularly rich in B vitamins. In addition, there are phospholipids, sucrose, and glucose.

In addition, lentils have medicinal effects. "Compendium of Materia Medica" records: lentils can stop diarrhea, relieve heat, warm the spleen and stomach, eliminate dampness and heat, and stop thirst. "Yao Xing Bian Yi" also records: lentils are specifically for clearing away heat, so they can harmonize the middle and stop cholera, and they are very good at nourishing the spleen, so they can treat dysentery and stop pus and blood, eliminate water and dampness, and treat heat diarrhea.

It should be noted that lentils contain toxic proteins, lectins, and saponins that can cause hemolysis. Therefore, you must be careful when heating them. Lentils must be cooked before eating, otherwise food poisoning may occur.

Benefits of Lentils

1. Lentils contain virus-inhibiting ingredients. This active ingredient is present in both water-soluble high-molecular and low-molecular parts and can effectively inhibit the growth of viruses.

2. The amylase inhibitors contained in lentils have the effect of lowering blood sugar in the body.

3. Lentils contain a variety of trace elements, which stimulate the bone marrow hematopoietic tissue, reduce the destruction of granulocytes, improve hematopoietic function, and are effective for leukopenia.

4. The phytohemagglutinin in lentils can enhance the body's immunity against tumors, inhibit tumor growth, and play a role in preventing and fighting cancer.

Lentil storage tips

Can be stored in a cool and ventilated place.

Lentil cooking tips

1. Soak in cold water (or scald with boiling water) before cooking. Because lentils contain a blood coagulation substance and hemolytic saponin, if eaten raw or undercooked, some people may experience poisoning reactions such as headache, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting 3 to 4 hours after eating.

2. The mature beans can be cooked or made into bean paste.

Dietary precautions

1. It is especially suitable for people with spleen deficiency, loose stools, reduced appetite, chronic diarrhea, women with spleen deficiency and leucorrhea, and children with malnutrition (simple indigestion).

2. People suffering from cold and fever or malaria should not eat it.

Delicious food

Stir-fried Lentils

Ingredients: 300 grams of lentils

Seasoning: 15g vegetable oil, 4g soy sauce, 3g pepper, 3g salt, 1g MSG, 5g green onion, 2g ginger

Method: 1. Remove the tendons from the lentils, clean them, and cut them into oblique pieces;

2. Heat oil in a wok, add peppercorns and fry until browned, then add chopped green onions and ginger slices and stir-fry until fragrant;

3. Pour the lentils into the pot and stir-fry until cooked, add soy sauce and salt, stir well, and sprinkle with MSG.

Lentil stewed noodles

Ingredients: 1 jin of lentils, clean and cut into sections 3 liang of meat, which can be increased or decreased according to personal preference, cut into slices, marinate with a small amount of salt and soy sauce for a few minutes 1 jin of thin noodles, if the noodles are too long, cut them a few times appropriately.

Seasoning: oil, soy sauce, salt, chicken essence.

Method: 1. Add oil (the amount of oil is about the same as for ordinary stir-fried beans and meat). When the oil is hot, put the marinated meat into the wok. After the meat changes color, put in the prepared beans, and add appropriate amount of soy sauce, salt, and chicken essence. Stir-fry the beans and meat until they are half cooked, then pour in some water until the beans are just covered.

2. Find a steamer and place it on the wok, spread the thin noodles evenly in the steamer, cover the pot, steam on medium heat for 8 minutes, put the noodles in the steamer into the pot, stir well, and the lentil noodles are ready.

Notice:

1. Pay attention to the amount of water in the wok. Don't boil it dry. Otherwise, the beans will become mushy and taste terrible.

2. After steaming, don't turn off the fire immediately. Carefully open the steamer to check how much water is in the wok. Normally, there is still a lot of soup in the wok. If it is too dry, it is not too late to add some water. If it is too dry, the braised noodles will taste a bit choking and tasteless.

Home remedies for curing diseases

Treatment of diarrhea in children: Take 15g of white lentils, 5-10g of ginseng, and 50g of polished rice. Boil the lentils until they are cooked, then add the rice to cook porridge. At the same time, fry the ginseng to extract the juice. When the porridge is cooked, add the juice and mix well. Take on an empty stomach, twice a day.

Treatment of cataracts: 50 grams of white lentils (soak in water), 15 grams of red dates, add water to cook porridge and drink as tea.