Description
Red split lentils, also known as Egyptian lentil or Masoor dal, are cheap, nutritous, delicious and very easy to make – no soaking required. They are the easiest to cook out of the lentil family, and as they are split naturally into two halves, they cook very quickly.
Lentils are edible seeds of the legume family. These are high in fibre, folate, potassium, iron and B1, and a great source of plant-based protein, including essential amino acids.
How to cook: Rinse lentils, put in a pan with water and bring to the boil. The easiest way to cook them is to check on them as you cook, and stop at your desired texture. For estimates, simmer for around 15 minutes into a thick purée, or 25 minutes will give you a mush. Use them for soups and spicy Indian dhals.
Example recipes:
Try this Red lentil curry from Rainbow plant life or this Red lentil dahl from Bianca Zapatka.
Or fancy a warming and nutritous soup, try this feel-good red lentil soup from frommybowl.
Top tips for cooking lentils:
A squeeze of lemon juice can brighten their earthy flavourf adding acidic ingredients, but aciic ingredients such as this should be added after cooking.
Salt should be added at the end of cooking, not during.
Do not cook lentils in aluminium or cast iron pans, as these metals can inhibit the cooking and affect the colour and/or taste of the lentils.
