Two-Burner Lentil and Rice Skillet
Split red lentils and instant rice in one pot, built for a van stove but fine on any burner.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 113
- protein
- 21 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 3 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 18 min
- water
- 900 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Split red lentils | 3/4 cup | red only, they break down in fifteen minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Instant rice | 1 cup | parboiled, not raw long grain |
| Tomato paste | 2 tbsp | tube, not can |
| Dried onion and garlic flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Vegetable bouillon | 2 cubes | |
| Cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper | 2 tsp total | |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Salt | to taste |
Method
- Warm the oil in the pot and stir the onion and garlic flakes through it for a minute. They need fat to wake up.
- Add the lentils, spices, bouillon, and 900 ml of water. Bring it to a boil, then hold it at a low rolling simmer for ten minutes with the lid cracked.
- Stir in the tomato paste and the instant rice. Lid on, heat off.
- Leave it five minutes without lifting the lid, then stir. Add water a splash at a time if it went past thick into stiff. Salt at the end, since the bouillon does most of it.
The source here was a two-burner van stove rather than a dish, so this is what that stove is actually good for: something that simmers unattended for ten minutes while you do anything else. It runs on one burner if that is all you have.
Split red lentils are the reason the timing works. They collapse into a thick base fast enough to cook and eat in one sitting, and they carry the tomato paste and fat instead of leaving a thin broth. The instant rice goes in last and finishes off the heat, which keeps it from turning to paste and keeps the whole thing in one pot.
Packing
Lentils, rice, flakes, bouillon, and spices premixed in one bag at home. Oil in a leakproof bottle, tomato paste in the tube it came in.
Variations
- A can of chickpeas, drained, if you have cooler space and want it heavier.
- Two burners means you can toast pita or flatbread alongside while the lentils simmer.
- A squeeze of lemon or a shake of vinegar at the end cuts the flatness of dried aromatics.
https://casambu.com/products/rechaud-gaz-2-cook-3-pro-turbo-cadac-dometic