Ecuadorian lentil stew {Menestra de lentejas}
Menestra de lentejas is a traditional Ecuadorian lentil stew simmered with onion, pepper, tomato, garlic, cumin, and cilantro. Menestra is served with rice and thin grilled steaks or carne asada.
Arroz con menestra or simply menestra is a very popular dish in Ecuador, and you can find it almost everywhere, though the Coastal region has the strongest claim on this dish. A menestra is usually made with lentils, but there are also versions made with bean or porotos. The lentils are simmered in a broth with onion, pepper, tomato, garlic, cumin and cilantro.
Even though there is a lot of flavor in the broth, sometimes you can give it a boost of flavor by preparing an additional refrito/sofrito and mixing it back into the dish at the end. In the coast, it is also common to add plantains to this menestra dish. I’ve had it both with slices of ripe plantains and thinly grated green plantains.
The ripe plantains give a sweet contrast to the dish. The thinly grated green plantain adds a bit of additional flavor, but also acts as a natural thickener for the lentil menestra. If adding plantains, you can do so during the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Ecuadorian lentil stew {Menestra de lentejas}
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbs oil
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 3 tomatoes diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp achiote powder or ground achiote
- 4 tbs chopped cilantro
- ~7 cups of water
- 1 lb lentils rinsed
- Salt to taste
- Green or ripe plantain - optional see notes at the end
Instructions
- Heat the oil on medium heat in a large sauce pan or cooking pot.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, cumin, salt, achiote and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro to make a refrito for the stew.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the ingredients have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the water and increase heat to bring water to boil.
- Add the lentils and reduce the heat to medium low, cover partially and cook until the lentils are tender. Taste and add salt if needed, stir in the remaining 2 tbs of cilantro, and remove from the heat.
- Serve with Ecuadorian style cooked rice, carne asada o carne frita (fried thin beef steaks), fried ripe plantains or fried green plantains, and a small salad or avocado slices.
Notes
To add a green plantain, peel a green plantain and grate it using a fine grater, stir the grated plantain into the menestra during the last ~15-20 minutes of cooking, mix it well so that it integrates into the stew - you will notice how it thickens the dish and adds a slight plantain flavor.
To add a sweet plantain, peel and cut a plantain into 1/2 to 1 inch slices and add them to the menestra during the last 20-25 minutes of cooking, they should be fully cooked by the time the dish is ready.
While this lentil stew or menestra is usually served with grilled or fried meat, you can also ask for it to be served with chicken and if you’re near the coast, then also fish or seafood. I remember my mom, during a period when she was trying to be vegetarian and make us vegetarians, would always ask for a fried egg instead of the meat.
Even though I wasn’t too happy about that at the time, and was very jealous of the people around us that got the meat, Â I now love arroz con menestra with a fried egg. To adapt this recipe for a vegetarian diet replace the meat with a fried egg. Other side dishes, in addition to the must-have rice and protein, include avocado slices, ripe fried plantains or patacones (green fried plantains), and a small salad or curtido.
To serve with menestra de lentejas or Ecuadorian lentil stew:
Recipe for Ecuadorian style rice
Recipe for carne asada
Recipe for fried ripe plantains
Recipe for patacones or tostones
Recipe for tomato and onion curtido
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Loved this recipe, it certainly passed the test at home, including my harshest critic, my 3-year old son! I first tried menestra de lentejas in Ecuador over 10 years ago, but this one is even better.
Querida Layita,
Soy ecuatoriana y extrano mucho la comida, en los 8 anos que he vivido en USA nunca encontre mejores recetas, son tan bien explicadas que incluso siendo principiante en la cocina las he podido seguir y hasta ahora todos los platos que he preparado tienen el sabor que tanto recuerdo.
Muchas gracias que Dios te bendiga y premie tu generosidad por compartir tus conocimientos culinarios con los amantes de la comida Ecuatoriana.
I made this for my Ecuadorian husband and he loved it. My mother inlaw always adds a little bit of milk and cheese so I did as well it turned out really good!! Thank you Laylita for taking the time to add these recipes. I love Ecuadorian food.
laylita, thank you so much for posting this recipe! im really excited to try it out to remind me of ecuador. When i lived there, they always served the carne asada with a creme sauce that added to the flavor. I was wondering if you knew how to make that creme. thank you so much, you have just made my week that much better for having this recipe posted.
I just got back from a month in Ecuador and miss it immensely. Food had helped me with the transition back home. This recipe in particular is wonderful. Thank you so much!
I love this recipe. I made Shepard’s pie the other day and i only had a pound of beef and i needed more so i added my leftover lentil stew from this recipe and mixed it into the beef mixture and it was amazing and best of all the kids did not even know it was their. I also think if you wanted a complete veggie meal you can top this recipe with potatoes and its “Gardeners pie” so good so versatile. thanks.
Layla: Yo le lpongo a la menestra medio platano verde picadito, para que espese. Para dar c olor uso el Tumery. Mi hija recien casada esta facinada con tus recetas. Gracias
I used to have menestra with diced chunks of queso fresco mixed into it just before serving. That makes a nice addition. However the best additive is ajÃ.
Thank you, Thank you, ¡mil Gracias! My wife and I made the arroz con manestra last night and it turned out perfect. I lived in Ecuador for back in 2000. I have been looking for Ecuadorian recipes and your site drew me in with all of your pictures. I thought, “It looks right, so it better taste right.” It tasted just like my mamita, Eva, used to make. We are making empanadas con quezo as we speak. I look forward to making more of your wonderful recipes.
My DH spent two years in Ecuador. He has been begging me to make this for him. I loved it, said it was just like what he was served in Ecuador. Thank you for posting this !!! We are going to Ecuador in April. I am looking forward to all the great food! :)