Fancy up your brown rice by cooking it with tiny black lentils. You’ll get lots of advantages from little effort: more protein, less greenhouse-gas emissions, more flavor, and less arsenic. Thanks to my friend Elise for the inspiration. She cooks lentils and rice together, then tops the mix with stir-fries, salads, or roasted vegetables for a quick complete meal.
Tuxedo Rice costs just 22 cents a serving using organic ingredients.
More protein
One cup of cooked brown rice has 5 grams of protein, while 1 cup of cooked black lentils has 18 grams.
Less greenhouse-gas emissions
Growing lentils produces about a fifth of the carbon-equivalent that growing brown rice does, according to the Environmental Working Group. Lentils are at the top of their list of smart food choices, with rice coming in at number 10, after beans, broccoli, nuts, and peanut butter. When you eat a mix of lentils and rice, you are shrinking your climate footprint.
More flavor
Black lentils have a rich, earthy flavor. They are sometimes called beluga lentils for their resemblance to caviar. That’s why I call this dish Tuxedo Rice.
Less arsenic
The secret is to cook rice like noodles, in lots of water, and then drain it and let it steam in a covered pot to fluffy perfection. I started using this way of cooking rice when I found out about the sometimes dangerous levels of arsenic in rice. All that water washes away a considerable amount of the heavy metal. Using a 50/50 blend of rice and lentils cuts your exposure roughly in half. Adults can safely eat 2 cups of Tuxedo Rice a week, about four servings.
Choose rice from California, India, or Pakistan. If you are feeding young children or eat a lot of rice or rice products, you may want to switch to white rice, which has less arsenic but also less fiber and nutrition.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 50 minutes |
| Passive Time | 8 hours |
| Servings |
servings
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- 1 cup brown rice I use California brown basmati
- 1 cup black lentils
- .5 teaspoons salt
- 8 cups water approximately
Ingredients
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- Rinse rice well and soak for eight to twelve hours in a large pot. Drain.
- Pick through lentils to remove any stones or other non-lentil bits. Rinse well. Add to rice with salt and water. The exact amount of water doesn't matter because you will be cooking the rice and lentils like pasta, draining off any water that is not absorbed.
- Bring uncovered pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, so the water barely boils. Cook uncovered for 35 minutes, until rice feels somewhat soft when you pinch a grain of it.
- Drain pot. I pour the contents through a large metal sieve to capture any stray grains. Rinse Tuxedo Rice with hot tap water. Return it to the pot, cover, and let it rest undisturbed for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Try a bite to check the texture. If you want softer rice, sprinkle a tablespoon of water over the rice, cover, and cook over low heat for 10 more minutes. Add salt as desired.
- Serve Tuxedo Rice hot, room temperature, or chilled, just as you would regular rice. Keeps for five days in the refrigerator or for up to a year frozen.
To make plain brown rice, skip the lentils. Cook each cup of rice in at least six cups of water. The eight cups shown above would be right with one and a quarter cups of rice.
Nutritional Information for Tuxedo Rice
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