Beans, lentils & pulses · Lentils & dals
Red lentils
Small orange split lentils that cook in minutes to a golden purée; the base of masoor dal and lentil soup.
Also called: masoor dal, split red lentils, kırmızı mercimek, pink lentils
A kind of lentils
Photo: Fumikas Sagisavas, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0-1.0)
What it is
Red lentils are skinned and split masoor lentils: tiny, salmon-orange discs that turn yellow and soften into a smooth purée in about 15–20 minutes. They need no soaking. Whole masoor (brown skin, orange inside) is a different product, and yellow moong dal looks similar but is paler and slightly sweeter.
Lens culinaris
How it’s used
- Simmered into masoor dal with a tadka
- Blended into Turkish red lentil soup and Middle Eastern shorbat adas
- Cooked with spices in Ethiopian misir wot
- Shaped into Turkish mercimek köftesi with bulgur
Characteristics
- Taste
- Mild, sweet and earthy.
- Texture
- Very soft; collapses into a creamy purée.
- When cooked
- Foams when boiling, so skim; thickens a lot as it cools.
- Sold as
- dried
- Cooking uses
- Commonly cooked, Suitable for boiling, Used for thickening
Storage
Cool, dry and dark. Store airtight in a cool, dry cupboard; rinse until the water runs clearer before cooking.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
- Cool cooked legumes quickly and refrigerate; reheat until piping hot and use within a few days.
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 358 kcal
- Protein
- 23.91 g
- Carbohydrate
- 63.1 g
- Fat
- 2.17 g
- Fibre
- 10.8 g
- Sugars
- — g
USDA FoodData Central: Lentils, pink or red, raw.
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Mung beans — Use split, skinned yellow moong dal; very similar cooking time.
- Yellow split peas — Longer cooking; slightly sweeter and starchier.
Related ingredients
Recipes with red lentils
Daal chawal
Pakistani · 50 min · 568 kcal · Vegetarian
Dal bhat tarkari
Nepalese · 55 min · 631 kcal · VegetarianDal shorba
Indian · 40 min · 139 kcal · Vegetarian
Dal tadka with red lentils
Indian · 40 min · 268 kcal · Vegetarian
Ezogelin çorbası
Turkish · 50 min · 224 kcal · Vegetarian
Haleem
Pakistani · 4 h · 364 kcal
Mercimek çorbası
Turkish · 45 min · 229 kcal · VegetarianMisir wot
Ethiopian · 1 h · 351 kcal · Vegetarian
Mulligatawny soup
Indian · 55 min · 477 kcal
Parippu
Sri Lankan · 35 min · 362 kcal · Vegan
Shorbet ads (Egyptian lentil soup)
Egyptian · 45 min · 328 kcal · Vegan
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