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Sprinkling chopped parsley over a bowl of Moroccan lentils (l'3des) topped with a green chili pepper
Ounwan El Hadga (@ounwan-elhadga)

Moroccan Lentils (L'3des) with Ground Beef

Moroccan-style lentils simmered in a thick tomato, garlic and ground beef sauce with paprika, ginger and cumin. Made in a pressure cooker in about 20 minutes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Soaking 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 3 to 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Sauce
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil plus more to serve
  • 3 tomatoes grated
  • 5 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 small red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 small handful fresh parsley and cilantro chopped
  • 250 g ground beef about 1/2 lb
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1 heaped tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 heaped tsp ground ginger
  • 1 heaped tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp hot chili pepper ground, or 1 to 2 whole hot green peppers
Lentils
  • 500 g green or brown lentils about 2 1/2 cups
  • water enough to cover generously

Method
 

  1. Rinse the lentils, cover them with water and leave them to soak for about 20 minutes, then drain.
  2. In a pressure cooker, add the vegetable oil and olive oil, then the grated tomatoes, garlic, sliced onion, chopped herbs and ground beef.
  3. Add the salt, paprika, black pepper, ginger, cumin and chili, and stir well, breaking up the meat.
  4. Cook the sauce over medium heat, stirring often, until the liquid has evaporated and the sauce starts to stick a little and brown. This takes away the acidity of the tomatoes and gives the lentils their flavor.
  5. Add the drained lentils and stir to coat them in the sauce. Pour in enough water to cover them generously.
  6. Close the pressure cooker. When it starts to whistle, lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes.
  7. Release the pressure and open. If there is still too much liquid, simmer uncovered for a few minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is as thick as you like.
  8. Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil and a little chopped parsley.

Notes

The secret is the sauce: let the tomato and meat sauce reduce until it starts to stick and brown before adding the lentils. If it stays watery and acidic, the lentils won't taste as good.
No pressure cooker? Use a heavy pot with a lid and simmer the lentils over low heat until tender, usually 35 to 45 minutes, adding a little water if needed.
Whole hot peppers can be cooked with the lentils and removed at the end so the dish isn't too spicy.