Eat your legumes: Tasty lentil recipes

Versatile, cheap and surprisingly delicious, try lentils in a salad, an Indian dhal or as a tasty accompaniment to meat or fish.

Lentil and squash salad

Serves 2

350 g butternut squash, chopped
75 ml cucumber and mint raita
250 g tin Puy lentils
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 large apple, chopped
1 small lettuce, sliced fine

Heat the oven to 220°C. Toss the squash in a little olive oil, season and roast for 30 minutes or until golden. Make a raita by combining plain Greek yoghurt with finely sliced cucumber and mint. Add 3 teaspoons of water, stir until smooth and set aside. Toss the lentils with half the raita, squash and parsley. Mix in the apples and lettuce. Tip the salad onto a plate, top with the remaining squash, raita and parsley, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Eat your legumes: Tasty lentil recipes

Tarka Dhal

Serves 2

400 g red lentils
2 tsp turmeric
2 knobs unsalted butter
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 fresh green chillies, finely sliced
3-inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tomatoes, chopped small
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
3 tsp fresh coriander, chopped fine

Place the lentils in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, skim off any surface scum, and reduce to a simmer. Stir in the turmeric and 1 knob of butter. Cover and leave to cook gently. Dry-fry the cumin seeds for 3 minutes. Remove from the pan. Melt a second knob of butter in the same pan and gently fry the garlic, onion, chillies, ginger and tomatoes. Once the garlic is golden, mix in the toasted cumin seeds, garam masala and ground coriander. Once the lentils are completely soft (the consistency of porridge) mix in the spices. Season to taste, top with fresh coriander, and serve with rice and greens.

Eat your legumes: Tasty lentil recipes

Salmon with lentils

Serves 2

2 salmon fillets
1 lemon, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped fine
4 streaky bacon rashers, diced
250g tin Puy lentils
½ fish stock cube
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp capers, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bake the salmon for 25 minutes, with the lemon slices arranged on top. Fry the garlic, onion and bacon. Drain off excess oil. Warm the lentils, adding the crumbled stock cube. Mix in the garlic, onion and bacon. Cook through then stir in 1 tablespoon of parsley, and the mustard and capers. Place the salmon and a few spinach leaves on top of the lentils, garnish with the remaining parsley and serve with a green vegetable.

Images: www.wikimedia.org

Tags: indian dhal, recipes, recipes for legumes, salad, salmon