Red lentil
Lens culinaris · Legume
Top 10 pairings
The red lentil is not a distinct species but the dehulled, split form of certain brown- or grey-coated lentils (Lens culinaris) whose inner cotyledons are a warm orange-pink. Stripped of their seed coat and broken into two flat halves, these salmon-coloured splits — sold as masoor dal in South Asia and as "red" or "Egyptian" lentils elsewhere — cook faster than any other pulse, collapsing into a soft golden purée in fifteen minutes with no soaking.
Picking a good onedrag
Whole, dry and evenly colouredBroken, dusty, damp or musty
Ordinary bagEverydayFor dal, soup or salad, simmer until tender all the way through. Raw or half-cooked lentils are indigestible.
The seed itselfMostly whole, a few chipped coats
Shake of the bagPour freely, light dust on fingers
Smell in the bagAlmost nothing, plain and papery
These cues are Lentil's, and hold across its varieties; where this one differs, its own page says so.