stewed lentils Archives | CaribbeanPot.com

While Stewed Chicken With Red Beans is a hit in my home and with fans of the website, this version of making Caribbean style stew chicken with the addition of canned (tin) lentils, is yet another comforting dish I enjoy making and serving. Side note, you can also make this dish using the Jamaican Brown Stew technique as well.

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs chicken
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 medium onion (diced)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 scotch bonnet pepper (see note)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
3 cups water
2 Pimento Peppers (aka seasoning peppers)
1 carrot (diced)
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 tablespoon coconut cream
1 can lentils – rinsed (540 ml / 19oz)
1 medium tomato (diced)
2 scallions (chopped)

Notes! May I recommend that you follow along with the video below as much more about the recipe is discussed there. Especially the “browning” step. I used an entire scotch bonnet pepper- you may do the same, leave it out or use in the amount you can tolerate. Remember to wear gloves and to wash your hands immediately after handling such hot peppers.

I used an entire chicken which I cut into serving sized pieces. Here’s a quick video showing how this is traditionally done in the Caribbean.

Season the cut, trimmed (remove fat and most of the skin) and washed with the juice of a lemon and cool water chicken (if you wash your meats) with the salt, black pepper, tomato ketchup, onion, Caribbean Green Seasoning, salt, Scotch Bonnet pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well to combine and allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the oil (any oil you prefer using) on a med/high flame in a heavy/deep pot. Add the brown sugar and stir. The sugar will melt, go frothy and then a deep amber in color. Do NOT allow it to go Black. Once you have that deep amber color, add the seasoned chicken to the pot and stir well to coat. In the video I explained this step in more detail. Should the sugar go black, STOP! Allow the pot to cool completely, wash it and start over, or you’ll have a bitter tasting dish at the end.

Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Don’t worry the chicken will sprout its own natural juices. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 4-5 minutes. Then you’ll turn the heat up to burn off all of the liquid in the pot. In doing so you’ll get a deeper color and flavor.

With all of the liquid gone, it’s time to add ginger, carrot, pimento pepper and coconut cream along with the water to braise everything. Stir.

Now add the rinsed lentils and diced tomato to the pot and cook on a rolling boil for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Should you like the flavor of lemongrass and/or bay leaves, you may add some for additional flavor. Here’s where you’ll decide if the gravy is to your liking and taste and adjust the salt to your liking. Keep in mind that the residual heat in the pot will further thicken things as it cools.

As you turn off the stove add the chopped scallions (or parsley), stir and make sure you have some hot steaming rice for an awesome meal. A slice of avocado, along with a quick salad of tomato, cucumber and watercress is how I complete this meal.

Vegan

Easy Caribbean Vegan Stewed Lentils Recipe.

May 28, 2025April 2, 20241 Comment

Back in 2010 I shared my version of the classic Caribbean Stewed Lentils, then we had the wicked Hearty Lentil Soup we did, followed by the Quick And Tasty Lentils we did using canned lentils and the Slower Cooker Stewed Lentils, but today it’s all about tradition. This is the lentils from my childhood, a recipe which differs slightly from the original way my great grandmother would make, however the base flavor and texture remains intact.

You’ll Need…

1 tablespoon veg oil
1 large onion (diced)
1 carrot (diced)
2 stalks celery (diced)
8 cloves garlic (smashed)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 sprigs thyme (divided)
1/2 lb pumpkin (sliced or diced)
3/4 tablespoon salt
3 cups green lentils (washed)
1 large tomato (diced)
3 tablespoon golden brown sugar (divided)
12-14 cups of water
1 scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 scallions (chopped fine)
3 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2-3 tablespoon coconut cream

Notes! Please follow along with the video below as much more is discussed about the recipe there. I used an entire Scotch Bonnet pepper, but that may be optional or at least use in the amounts you know you can handle. Remember to wear gloves and to wash your hands with soap and water IMMEDIATELY after handling such hot peppers. IMPORTANT! To make this dish fully vegan, LEAVE OUT the Worcestershire sauce.

Heat the olive oil in a deep pot on a medium flame and add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, 1/2 of the thyme and black pepper. Turn the heat down to med/low and cook gently for 4-5 minutes, then add the pumpkin and salt. Continue cooking for 3 minutes.

Now add the washed lentils along with the diced tomato, stir well.

Turn the heat up, add 12 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. As it comes to a boil, reduce the flame so it simmer for about 45-55 minutes. Here’s when you’ll also add the scotch Bonnet (any spicy pepper you like or can source) as well.

Once the lentils are tender, remove the pot off the heat and set aside. It’s time for the stewing step. Keep an eye on things as it cooks as you may need to add more water so it doesn’t dry-off before getting tender.

Heat another heavy pot on a medium/high flame, add the remaining oil. Go in with the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and stir. Watch the video for this step. Essentially the sugar will melt, go frothy, then a deep amber in color (if it goes black, STOP – allow the pot to cool completely before you wash it and start over – explained why in the video). It will go smoky in your kitchen! I used a measuring cup with a handle to add the previously boiled lentils to the caramelized sugar. Had I poured it directly from pot to pot, I risked getting burned.

Once you have all of the lentils in the pot, add the scallions, parsley, ginger and coconut cream and stir well. Cook for another 10 minutes to allow all of those flavors to make their magic. Then taste and adjust the salt to your liking.

Keep in mind it will thicken further as it cools, but if you find that it’s too runny, you may crush some of the lentils to naturally thicken things. ENJOY!

Comforting Stewed Lentils (slow cooker).

May 28, 2025April 28, 20211 Comment

Mom never owned a slow cooker (and we’ve talked about her and her dislike for pressure cookers – that she passed on to us), so the lentils she would make about 2 times a month, was slow-cooked on the stove top. That recipe I’ll share with you another day. For now, here’s my take on what I believe is one of the simplest ways to prepare comforting lentils from scratch.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs dried lentils
1 large carrot (cubed)
2 cups butternut squash (cubed)
3 stalks celery (diced)
1 medium onion (diced)
2 scallions (chopped)
4-6 sprigs thyme
4 tablespoon parsley (divided)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
4 cups vegetable stock
3-4 cups water
3 pimento peppers (chopped)
1 tablespoon Molasses
2-3 tablespoon Maple syrup
1 tablespoon Caribbean browning
2 thick slices ginger
1/2 teaspoon Scorch Bonnet pepper flakes (optional)
6 cloves garlic (whole)
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the Caribbean Browning, vegetable stock and Worcestershire sauce you use. This will be a MASSIVE pot of lentils, so be prepared to freeze and reheat on a later date or make when you’re having a large crowd over for dinner.

Wash and soak the lentils in warm water for 15 minutes. There’s no need to soak overnight as we’re slow cooking.

Place the lentils (drained) in the slow cooker, followed by the pimento peppers, ginger, scallions, celery, 1/2 of the parsley, black pepper.. basically everything in the ingredients list.

Later on we’ll adjust the salt. If you’re doing this vegan, keep and eye on the ingredients in the Worcestershire sauce as you may have to avoid it.

With the carrot and butternut squash, I like putting in bigger cubes as it will maintian a bit of texture later on as we slow cook this.

Stir well and place the lid on. Setting on high.

You can walk away form it at this point.

6 hours later (watch the video below) and this should be tender, tasty and thick! Don’t forget to fish out the thyme sprigs and ginger and toss before serving. Yea, taste for salt too and adjust to your liking.

Top with the remainder of the parsley and enjoy. NOTE! For a more grainy lentil, cook for less time and cut back the water by 3/4 cup. Yes you can use Veg (or Chicken) stock instead of water, but be mindful of the sodium content as it will affect how salty the final dish is.

Freeze the remainder for another night you feel like having a comforting side or bowl of lentils you made from scratch.

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Gluten Free Vegan Vegetarian

Quick And Tasty Stewed Lentils.

May 28, 2025May 7, 20184 Comments

I’m still to taste a Caribbean-style stewed lentils to rival my mom’s… I still look forward to the bowls prepped for the freezer she usually sends for me when she cooks up a batch. This recipe came about one night when I was craving her lentils, but the freezer was bare. I did find a can of lentils in the pantry, so I did what we “Caribbean” people do best.. improvise! With the addition of diced pumpkin and stewed tomatoes, this version is QUICK and very tasty.

You’ll Need…

1 large can lentils
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced pumpkin
1 cup veg stock
1 teaspoon browning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large shallot (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 scallions (chopped)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper

Important. If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs, especially the stock you choose to use. Carrot is a good substitute for the diced pumpkin or you may use any of your fav squash.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan on a medium flame then add the shallot and garlic, turn the heat down and cook for 2-3 minutes on low. Then add black pepper, scallions and diced pumpkin. Turn the heat up to medium/low and stir well.. cook for another minute or so.

Toss in the slices of scotch bonnet pepper or any pepper you have access to. Or you can leave it out if you’re worried about the heat. Remember to not include any seeds if you’re overly concerned about the raw heat and be sure to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling the pepper.

Now turn the heat up to medium/high and go in with the lentils (direct from the can) along with the can of stewed tomatoes, sugar, bay leaf, parsley, veg stock (use chicken if you’re not making this vegan) and salt. Bring to a boil. Add the browning and stir well.

The sugar will help to balance the sort of tartness of the canned tomatoes and the browning will give it a wonderful color and caramel undertone flavor. Reduce to a gentle boil, cover the pot and allow it to cook for about 20-25 minutes.

The pumpkin should be tender at this pint. It’s time to personalize things a bit, but first remove the bay leaf and discard – it did it’s thing already, Check for salt and adjust. Then you can use the back of your spoon to crush the pumpkin a bit (if you so desire). If it’s too runny, crushing the pumpkin will thicken things up a bit. The first night I had this with rice, then next morning I had some with toast and the last bit I enjoyed as a soup for lunch. I encourage you to give this #meatfree dish a try.. it’s incredible. Still not my mom’s though.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Vegetarian

Stewed Lentils Caribbean Style.

March 5, 2012June 30, 201035 Comments

trinidad stew lentils recipe (13) This recipe is very similar to the Red Kidney Beans one I did a couple weeks ago, except we’re using dried lentils. Lentils are one of the best vegetable sources of iron. This makes them an important part of a vegetarian diet, and useful for preventing iron deficiency. I usually make lentils in batches, so I could enjoy some that day and freeze the rest for later use, especially since it takes a while to cook if you don’t have a pressure cooker. I’ve had frozen stewed lentils last up to 3 months in the freezer and once reheated it tastes the same as the day it was first cooked.

Now don’t get “tie-up” (confused) by this being a vegetarian dish and think it lacks flavour… trust me this one will be a hit for one and all. I love this so much, I even have it as a soup… but that’s when I add salted meats to it while cooking 🙂

You’ll Need…

2 cups of lentils (I used the small brown/green ones)
3 cloves garlic
2 sprigs thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
dash black pepper
hot pepper (as much as you like) I used a small habanero
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion sliced
water (see in directions)
1/2 teaspoon Caribbean style “browning”
2 table spoon chopped shado beni or cilantro
1 scallion (diced thin)
1/2 tablespoon Golden Ray butter (optional, but adds that true island flavour so I could not leave this out)

You can also add the following ingredients during the slow cooking process to add a bit more body and flavour to the dish.

2 carrots diced
1 bell pepper diced
1 tomato diced

Get started by going through the lentils to ensure that there’s nothing foreign between it (I’ve seen little pebbles and twigs at times). Then pour the lentils into a bowl and wash with cool water (drain), after which I add enough water to the bowl to cover the lentils and allow to soak for a couple hours (overnight is best).

trinidad stew lentils recipe

The next step is to pour the lentils and water into a deep pot and add additional water so everything is covered by at least 2 inches of water. Place the pot onto a medium heat, add the garlic, hot pepper, salt, thyme and if you’re using the additional ingredients, now is the time to add them. Don’t forget to add the black pepper as well. Bring this to a boil, then cover and reduce to heat to low so it simmers. Allow this to cook for about 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

trinidad stew lentils recipe (2)

After the lentils are tender (pay attention to the water level as you don’t want it to get too thick or all the water to burn off…. add a cup is you find that it’s starting to get overly thick) Get another pot and add the oil to it under medium heat, then add the sliced onions and cook for a couple minutes. Basically until it’s soft and start getting golden edges. Then (gently – we’re adding liquid to hot oil) add the cooked lentils to the pot (pour in everything).

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Get a whisk or as I did with a swizzle stick, whisk everything to break down the lentils a bit… then add the browning, scallions, shado beni or cilantro and Goldenray butter and stir around. Allow this to cook for a couple minutes and then you’re done. Don’t forget to fish out the twig from the thyme before serving. You’re looking for a thick, soup-like consistency.

trinidad stew lentils recipe (10)

trinidad stew lentils recipe (11)

trinidad stew lentils recipe (4)

trinidad stew lentils recipe (12)

trinidad stew lentils recipe (13)

trinidad stew lentils recipe (14)

This is awesome as a side for rice dishes (must have stew chicken, beef or pork as well) and I also like scoping with pita bread or roti as well.. plus as I mentioned earlier, it’s good as a simple soup as well. Don’t forget to leave me your comments below and remember to connect with us on facebook by clicking on the image below.

stewed lentils

Caribbean Stewed Chicken With Lentils.

Easy Caribbean Vegan Stewed Lentils Recipe.

Comforting Stewed Lentils (slow cooker).

Quick And Tasty Stewed Lentils.

Stewed Lentils Caribbean Style.

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