Lentil and Radicchio Salad with Capers and Walnuts

Brown or black lentils are a particular favourite in Autumn, Winter and Early to Mid Spring. They have an earthy heartiness about them. Any of the dark lentils are happily received in this kitchen – puy, beluga, horse gram, matki, whole red lentils, for example.

Today I paired them with a radicchio – the bitterness of this lettuce goes so well with the earthy lentils, and added tartness with some lemon juice and capers. Walnuts have a great affinity with earthy flavours – beetroot for example – so they go well with earthy lentils too. Capsicum adds fresh crunch and herbs enliven the dish.

Similar recipes include Lentil Salad with Pomegranate Molasses, Brown Lentil Sprouts Sundal, and Salad of Rocket and Radicchio.

Browse all of our Salads, all of our Radicchio dishes or explore our Mid Spring dishes.

Green Mango and Masoor Dal | Aamer Dal | Tok Dal

Green Mango goes well with Indian lentils, and this time we pair it with Masoor Dal (called red lentils outside of India, but not to be confused with Indian red gram dal / toor dal). The recipe today is a tangy, simple Bengali dish with a touch of mustard oil. Simply spiced, it is delicious.

This recipe can also be made with Mung Dal instead of Masoor Dal, or with a mixture of both.

Similar recipes include Hara Mung Dal Taka,  Ambe Dal (Channa Dal with Green Mango), Mung Dal with Green Mango, Green Mango and Coconut Rice, Green Mango in Coconut Milk, and Masoor Dal with Green Chillies.

Browse our Green Mango recipes and our Dals. Our Indian recipes are here, and our Indian Essentials here. Or explore our Early Spring dishes.

Thai Inspired Red Lentil Soup with Aromatic Chilli Oil

When Autumn arrives, the first thing I make is Rice Pudding. For Ottolenghi it is this Thai inspired soup that he makes when the arrival of autumn is officially announced. And what a way to celebrate Autumn! It is fresh, creamy and loaded with flavour. Great choice, Ottolenghi!

Making this soup with split red lentils (masoor dal) will give you a brighter coloured, but it can also be made with whole red lentils. The recipe does not specify which one. Whole lentils provide a deeper flavour and darker colour, and they won’t blend to as smooth a soup, but are just as fine to use if you prefer to. I have made today’s soup with whole lentils.

This is an Ottolenghi dish from Plenty More. It is Ottolenghi day on the blog – one of two days per month where we publish all the latest posts of recipes we have tried in our project of cooking from Ottolenghi books – currently we are cooking from Plenty More, but not ignoring his other books completely. Note that I often massage the recipes to suit what is available from our garden and pantry. For the original recipes, check his books and his Guardian column.

Similar recipes include Red Lentil Soup with Thick Yoghurt, Red Lentil Soup with Spices, Ginger and Garlic, and Masoor Dal with Green Peppers.

Browse all of our Red Lentil dishes and all of our Soups. Our Ottolenghi dishes from Plenty More are here. We have written about our experiences cooking through this book. Or explore our Mid Autumn dishes.

Red Lentils and Mung Dal | Masoor Dal and Mung Dal from Assam

Red lentils, as they are called here, or Masoor Dal, have made a reappearance in this kitchen after we received a large bag of them as a gift. How wonderful to have friends and relatives that gift odd bits and pieces to our pantry – I love them all.

Truly, I had forgotten how wonderful red lentils are, even though we have some stunning dishes that feature them. Red Lentil Soup with Garlic, for example, and also the Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Thick Thick Yoghurt.

Today we are making a Dal from the Assam region in North East India that mixes both split red lentils and mung dal. It is tasty, substantial, healthy and nourishing. The recipe uses mustard oil for a wonderful tang, but ghee can be substituted if preferred.

Are you after Dal recipes? Try  Masoor Dal with Green Chillies, Dal Tadka, Monk’s Dal and Urad Dal with Tomatoes.

You can check all of our Red Lentil recipes, our Mung Dal dishes, and our Dals. Browse our Indian recipes here. Or take some time to explore our Mid Winter dishes.

Red Lentil (Masoor Dal) Sprouts Sundal | Stir Fried Sprouts with Spices and Coconut

A gorgeous side dish of sprouted lentils today. Gorgeous AND delicious, South Indian sundals are dry lentil dishes with spices. They are a traditional food during the Navaratri Hindu Festival.

Similar recipes include Lentil Salad with Pomegranate Molasses, Urad Dal Sundal, Channa (Chickpea) Sundal, Sprouted Green Gram Sundal, and White Peas Sundal. Or you can make a sundal with Coconut, White Peas and Greeen Mango, equally as delicious.

We have many sundal recipes – you can explore them here. All of our Indian recipes are here, and our Indian Essentials are here. Or explore our Early Spring recipes.

Spicy Rustic Red Lentil Soup with Thick Thick Yoghurt

In my palette of dried beans and lentils, it is the red lentil that is used least of all. I am not sure why. Its colour is lively, it is so easy to cook, does not require previous soaking and it falls to a wonderful creamy mush as it cooks. Perfect for when there is never enough time.

Red lentils were one of the four pulses commonly available as I was growing up – red lentils, split peas,  yellow split peas, barley – and was often thrown by the handful into overcooked soups and stews, left bland and forgotten at the bottom of the dish in an era when spices and herbs were not to be found in any Proper Country Australian Housewife’s kitchen. These women knew how to cook vegetables and meat for their men, but not “these dried things”.

That certainly has changed. This red lentil, called Masoor Dal in India, has a solid place in the pantry now. It is not to be confused with Toor Dal, commonly called Red Gram or Red Lentils in Indian recipes.

Are you looking for similar recipes? Try Thai Red Lentil Soup,  Red Lentil Soup with Ginger, Garlic and Spices, and Red Lentils and Mung Dal.

Browse all of our Red Lentil recipes and all of our Soups. We have other Turkish recipes. Or find inspiration in our easy Early Winter recipes.

Red Lentil Soup with Spices, Ginger and Garlic

This recipe is a bit famous in our household, a recipe that we have used over the years (since 1997), and laugh about the supposed garlickiness of it. But don’t skimp on the garlic. It is worth every clove. (Actually, because the garlic cooks out, you don’t taste it in the way you might expect.) This is a hearty soup, great for cold cold weather. Roughly chop the ingredients for a rustic farmhouse soup, or chop them finely for a more refined bowl.

Are you looking for similar soups? Try Red Lentil Soup with Feta, Du Puy Lentil Soup, and Turtle Bean Soup.

Browse our collection of Soup Recipes and our Red Lentil recipes. Find some inspiration in our Late Autumn collection of recipes.