Ravinder Bhogal’s recipes for cooking with lentils

My pantry is stocked with an abundance of lentils: tiny red ones that take moments to cook, which I throw into soups; buttery yellow ones for khichdi; French green ones to add heft to salads; glossy black beluga; and pebbly puy. They’re cheap, nutritional powerhouses that have a low carbon footprint, require little water to grow and improve the health of depleted soil, making them good for our planet, too. What’s not to love? Dal might be the obvious choice when cooking lentils, but there is so much more you can do with them.

Lentil fritters with quick coconut chutney (pictured above)

I first came across these moreish little fritters in Kerala, where they were served as an afternoon snack with a cup of chai. The batter comes together very quickly in a food processor. Look out for frozen grated coconut in Asian supermarkets.

Prep 20 min
Soak 2 hr
Cook 30 min
Makes About 24

200g chana dal (split Bengal gram)
200g skinned peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 thumb ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp toasted fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
1 tsp toasted coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
½ tsp coarsely ground cinnamon
1 large handful coriander, finely chopped
A pinch of asafoetida
4 tbsp grated coconut
4 tbsp gram flour
Rapeseed oil, for deep-frying

For the quick coconut chutney
250g vegan coconut yoghurt
100g unsweetened desiccated coconut
1 tsp caster sugar
Juice of ½ lime

For the tempering
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 tbsp urid dal (split skinned black gram)
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
Pinch of asafoetida
1 dried red kashmiri chilli, torn in two (optional)
20 curry leaves, roughly chopped

To make the chutney, mix the yoghurt, coconut, sugar, lime juice and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Heat the rapeseed oil in a frying pan and fry the urid dal until pale golden. Scatter in the mustard seeds and, as soon as they pop, sprinkle in the asafoetida, kashmiri chilli, if using, and curry leaves. Pour the contents of the pan over the yoghurt mix, stir to combine, then refrigerate until required.

Soak the chana dal in cold water for two hours, then drain and grind in a food processor to make a coarse paste. Add the peanuts, onion, chillies, ginger, spices, herbs, coconut, gram flour and some salt, then shape tablespoonfuls of the mix into little patties.

Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based saucepan (no more than half full) to 180C (if you don’t have a digital probe thermometer, it’s at the right temperature when a cube of bread added to the pan turns golden in 30 seconds). Deep-fry until crisp and dark golden, then drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Serve hot with the coconut chutney.

Lentil, anchovy and fennel ragu with spaghetti

Good pasta, lentils, tinned tomatoes, anchovies and capers are pantry staples that come together to create a hearty, luscious ragu you’ll want to eat on repeat.

Prep 20 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 celery stick, trimmed and finely chopped
1 carrot, trimmed, peeled if necessary and finely chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and very finely sliced
4-6 fat anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
2 fat garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp tomato puree
400g chopped tomatoes
400ml chicken or vegetable stock
250g dried green lentils
250g spaghetti
3 tbsp capers in brine, drained and roughly chopped
1 handful finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and pepper
Grated parmesan, to serve

Heat the oil in a large, deep pan or casserole, then saute the onion, celery, carrot and fennel over a low heat for 10-15 minutes, until softened. Add the anchovies, cook for a minute, then sprinkle in the garlic, lemon zest, chilli flakes and oregano, and cook for a further one to two minutes, until the garlic smells fragrant. Add the tomato puree, cook for a minute, then pour in the chopped tomatoes and stock. Sprinkle in the lentils and simmer over a low heat for 25-30 minutes, or until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and stir it through the sauce, adding a little of the reserved water to help the sauce surround the pasta. Add the capers and parsley, toss, and serve topped with grated parmesan.

Lentil and roast carrot fatteh

Fatteh is traditionally made with chickpeas, but here I’ve used tinned lentils instead for a quick, satisfying take.

Prep 15 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 4

750g carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthways
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
2 tsp nigella seeds
50g pine nuts
2 Lebanese flatbreads, or pitta
200g Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
800g tinned green lentils (ie, 2 x 400g tins), drained
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 small bunch mint, finely chopped
1 pinch cayenne pepper

For the dressing
60ml extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 pinch caster sugar

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Put the carrots on a roasting tray, drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and black pepper, and sprinkle over the nigella seeds, then roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender and caramelised.

Just before the carrots are done, scatter the pine nuts on to another tray, add the flatbreads and roast, shaking occasionally, for three to five minutes, until the pine nuts are golden and the flatbread is crisp. Set aside to cool, then break the bread into pieces.

Stir the yoghurt, tahini and lemon juice in a bowl, and season to taste.

For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients in a bowl, then season to taste.

Put the carrots, lentils, half the pine nuts, half the flatbread pieces and the herbs in a large bowl, drizzle over the dressing, season to taste and toss gently to combine. Spoon the mix on to a platter, top with a few dollops of yoghurt, and scatter over the remaining pine nuts and bread. Sprinkle over the cayenne pepper and serve with extra yoghurt on the side.