Lentil Stew (Leshta Yahniya)

Hearty Bulgarian lentil stew with carrots, paprika and dried mint, topped with sirene and pickled onion — Dimitar Tonchev

• 6–8 servings
• Prep ~15 min
• Cook ~50–60 min (est.)
• Bulgarian

Source: Леща Яхния — Dimitar Tonchev (Facebook reel) · share link facebook.com/share

Ingredients

• 500 g brown/green lentils
• 2–3 small onions, chopped
• 4–6 carrots, chopped
• 4–6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2–3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1–2 tsp black pepper (be generous)
• 80 g plain flour
• 1–2 Tbsp sweet paprika (Bulgarian red pepper)
• 1 Tbsp dried spearmint (dzhodzhen)
• 3–4 tsp salt
• 2 L water
• 1 can (400 g) chopped tomatoes
• ¼ bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• To serve: crumbled Bulgarian white brined cheese (sirene; Danubia in the video)
• To serve: pickled red onion — est. 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, in ~100 ml vinegar + 100 ml water + 1 tsp sugar + ½ tsp salt for 15+ min
• Optional: toasted bread slices (shown in the video)

Method

1. Chop the onions, carrots and garlic. Rinse the lentils well under cold water.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Add the onions, carrots and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until slightly softened and the fat is fragrant.
3. Add a generous amount of black pepper, the flour and the paprika. Stir well so they spread evenly and cook very lightly (about 1 minute — don’t let the paprika burn).
4. Gradually pour in the water while stirring, so the flour dissolves without lumps.
5. Add the salt, dried mint and rinsed lentils and stir until everything comes to a gentle simmer.
6. Turn the heat down almost to minimum and cook slowly until the lentils are tender but not falling apart — est. 40–50 minutes. Stir now and then, scraping the bottom so it doesn’t catch.
7. Towards the end, add the canned tomatoes and simmer for another 5 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat and stir in plenty of fresh chopped parsley for freshness.
9. Serve in bowls with a generous crumble of sirene and some pickled onion for tang and crunch (with toast on the side, if you like).

Add the canned tomatoes only near the end: their acidity makes lentils and carrots firm up and take much longer to soften.
Here the roux (flour + paprika) is made right with the vegetables — simpler, but the stew sticks more easily, so stir more often. The traditional way: once the lentils are soft, cook oil, flour and paprika in a small pan for about a minute, whisk in a little of the hot broth, then pour it back into the pot. Less stirring, one more pan to wash — your choice.
Pickled onion stands in for the splash of vinegar many people add to lentils — same pleasant sourness, plus crunch.
Estimated (not stated in the video): total simmering time for the lentils and the pickled-onion brine quantities. Everything else is from the creator’s caption.
Recipe by Dimitar Tonchev (Facebook, sponsored post for Lidl Bulgaria / Silvercrest). Transcribed from the video caption, voice-over and on-screen text.