As with many humble ingredients, lentils are often overshadowed by their fancier counterparts. But these little pellets of goodness are chock-full of protein and able to carry some serious flavours. My love affair with them started with the incomparable lentil dhal. Taking the dhal as a starting point, here are three more recipes that make the most of that rare commodity: time.
Using the same batch of precooked lentils over a few days, you can dish up a spice-packed dhal, a refreshing mango and mackerel salad, a fragrant broth with coconut and coriander or tuck into an Indian street food snack of lentil-stuffed bread, known as kachoris. These recipes revel in their convenience, without sacrificing flavour.
To cook your lentils
500g chana dhal (split chickpea lentils)
500g urad lentils (the black ones)
1 Soak 1kg mixed lentils – preferably overnight – then drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
2 Boil the mixed lentils in a large stockpot over a low to medium heat for 45 minutes; the water should be about 5cm above the surface of the lentils.
3 Scoop off any residue from the surface, then drain and rinse the lentils in cold water. Decant into a pot and fill with cold water to cover. Cover with a lid, then refrigerate. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
The warming dhal: Five-spiced tarka dhal with tamarind chutney (pictured above)
Apart from the liquor they’re cooked in, the secret to a successful dhal lies in the tarka – a sautéed blend of whole spices, and the dynamic duo of garlic and ginger.
Serves 4
400g cooked lentils, rinsed and drained
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
½ tsp turmeric
2 green chillies, chopped
½ tsp sugar
Juice of a lemon
Salt
Tamarind chutney, to serve
For the tarka
2 tbsp olive oil, for frying
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2cm fresh ginger, peeled, roughly chopped
2 whole finger green chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp nigella seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tomato diced
Salt
1 Boil the cooked lentils in 1 litre of water with the garlic, turmeric, chillies and sugar for 20 minutes, until the lentils have yielded their shape and are looking a bit mushy.
2 Meanwhile, make the tarka. Add the onion and garlic to a hot frying pan over a medium heat, allowing them to brown and crisp at the edges. Add the ginger, chilli and all the seeds, turn up the heat and cook until the seeds jig and hop in the pan. Slide in the tomato. Fry for 3-4 minutes, until the ginger has softened and the tarka has dried a little. Season, take off the heat, cover immediately to retain the spice hit and leave to cool.
3 Add water to the lentils if necessary – it needs to be loose and a little runny. Season well and add the lemon juice.
4 Just before serving, spoon the tarka over the dhal, mix well and swirl through a dash of tamarind chutney.
The light lunch: Lentil, mango and smoked mackerel salad
This fresh, textured salad is rich in all the good stuff.
Serves 4
For the salad
250g cooked lentils
4 peppered smoked mackerel fillets, skinned and broken into chunks
3 spring onions, thinly sliced diagonally
200g baby spinach leaves
100g watercress
A small handful of mint leaves, washed and roughly chopped
1 mango, skinned and sliced into chunks
For the dressing
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp nigella seeds
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Salt and sugar to season
1 Refresh the lentils in cold water, drain thoroughly and set aside.
2 To make the dressing, combine the oils, chillies and seeds in a bowl, then whisk in the lime zest and juice. Season with salt and a sprinkling of sugar, to taste.
3 Mix the leaves, spring onions and lentils in a large salad bowl. Divide between four plates, then layer with mackerel and mango. Dress each plate. Serve straight away.
The street food snack: Kachoris
These little puffed bread parcels can carry a variety of fillings, from crushed spiced peas, chilli-soaked potatoes or this whole-spice lentil smash. The trick is to fry them over a low to medium heat making sure the dough is cooked all the way through. Authentic Indian chutnies make good dunking partners, but HP sauce also does the trick for me.
Makes 12 -14
300g plain white or wholemeal flour
60ml olive oil
½ tsp salt
150ml water, for kneading
For the filling
200g cooked lentils
1 tbsp olive oil
80ml vegetable or rapeseed oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt
1 Combine the flour, oil and salt in a bowl, then bring together to form a crumbly mix. Stir in the water, a bit at a time, to make a stiff dough.
2 Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes, until it’s dry, yet elastic. Return to the bowl, cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside for 1 hour.
3 Meanwhile, make the spiced lentil filling. Pulse the cooked lentils in a blender with the olive oil until roughly smashed.
4 Heat a small frying pan with 2 tbsp of veg oil. Add the seeds. Cook until they dance around the pan. Add the lentils, cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Dust in the garam masala and chilli, then fry for a further 10 minutes over a low heat until the lentil smash stops sticking to the pan. Leave to cool.
5 Split the dough into 12-14 small balls. Using the heel of your palm, gently flatten the dough to the size of a beer mat. Add 1 tsp of the lentil mix to the middle of the disc. Fold up the edges of the dough around the lentils to form a pinched parcel, sealing the contents. Gently flatten to a disc shape using the ball of your palm.
6 Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan over a high heat until it smokes. Turn down to a low-medium temperature. Fry the kachoris for 3-4 minutes on each side, until caramel in colour. Serve with brown sauce.
The steamy supper: Mixed lentil, coconut and coriander broth
This is a great light supper option: the lentils act as a sponge for the fragrant spices soaking up their personalities, while the light sweetness of the coconut milk soothes away any tartness.
Serves 4
50ml olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 thumb of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
500ml vegetable stock
400g cooked lentils
A pinch of ground cinnamon
240ml full-fat coconut milk
50g coriander leaves, washed, stalks removed
Salt and black pepper
1 Fry the onion, garlic and ginger over a medium heat until they have become tanned and soaked up the oil.
2 Sprinkle in the fennel seeds, stir for 2 minutes. Dust in the turmeric and ground coriander, coating all the ingredients. Cook until they yield their aroma – 2-3 minutes should do.
3 Turn up the heat, then pour in the stock and lentils. Bring to a gentle boil for around 10-15 minutes, or until the lentils have softened.
4 Turn the heat down to medium, add the ground cinnamon and coconut milk, then cook for further 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then scatter with coriander leaves.
Ivor Peters, the Urban Rajah, is a food author, cook and traveller. His cookbook Urban Rajah’s Curry Memoirs (Headline) is out now. www.urbanrajah.com
