The Turkish pantry
Parcooked Green Lentils
Parcooked green lentils finish softening in a stew while retaining their shape. They are measured after their first cooking and draining when the recipe specifies that state.
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This ingredient is whole green lentils that have been partially cooked and drained. They are neither dry lentils nor lentils already cooked until fully tender.
Types & forms
Parcooked and drained
The lentils have begun to soften but still need the recipe's final cooking.
Dry or fully cooked
Dry lentils have not absorbed cooking water; fully cooked lentils are already tender. Their measured weights are not interchangeable.
What to look for when buying
- To prepare this form, start with whole dry green lentils and follow the selected recipe's preliminary cooking instructions.
- A ready-cooked can or pouch normally contains fully cooked lentils; do not assume it is parcooked.
Prepare & cook
- Rinse and simmer the dry lentils as directed, stopping while they still need further cooking and their skins remain intact.
- Drain, then measure the amount required in that state. Add to the stew at the specified stage and finish cooking until tender.
Store it well
- Treat parcooked lentils as a prepared food, not a dry pantry ingredient. Prepare them as part of the recipe's plan, and follow the label if using a packaged product.
Substitutions depend on the dish
Fully cooked green lentils
Need less finishing time and may break if cooked for the full stew time. Use a recipe written for cooked lentils.
Dry green lentils
Need separate preparation and absorb water. Do not replace a weighed parcooked amount with the same dry weight.
Nutrition
Verified nutrition values for this exact product and prepared form are not available.