Instant Pot Hearty Vegetable and Lentil Soup 法式綠扁豆與薏米蔬食湯［電子壓力鍋版］

There have been several snow storms in Quebec this winter. I was especially happy when I received my friend's text and invitation for a lunch at his home on a very cold and snowy day a little while back. If you ever tasted my friend's cooking, you would know why I was happy to be invited. You see, my friend is a very good cook. His food is simple but homey at the same time, which is exactly what I love to have during the cold weather. As a local, he's proud of his culture and heritage, and he often likes to share with me the traditional Québécois cooking that he grew up with.

The Perfect French Green Lentils 如何煮法式綠扁豆

Many years ago, before I knew much about cooking, I was making a recipe that called for French green lentils and used Indian green lentils instead, thinking they were the same thing. It is easy to confuse them, since they're both green. Especially in the US, unless you go to a specialty store or a health food store, you won't find many varieties of lentils. Though the two lentils are similar in color, French lentils are darker, smaller, and hold their shape much better after cooking. They're also called Puy lentils (lentilles du Puy) because they're originally grown in the French region, Puy.