Red lentil dal with potato and fennel from Ottolenghi Comfort (page 157) by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh and Tara Wigley and Verena Lochmuller

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Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    Lentils and mung beans soak 1-2 hours.

  • Dinovino on May 21, 2026

    Truly delicious, very moreish indeed.

  • nina_rilqer on April 11, 2026

    Remarkable and memorable. I was dubious right up until it was served… but then everyone including myself kept going back for more. Deeply satisfying flavor. Can be served alongside anything.

  • ellen_gvlooi on March 11, 2026

    used a bit less coconut milk and a bit more fresh and dried chilis, great spice level. loved the potato and fennel addition

  • Livia on September 13, 2025

    Loved this, especially when I added a bit of lime pickle. Next time will leave the seeds in the chillies as it needs that kick. I used whole mung beans as that's what I had and worked great with pre soaking. I threw in all the spices and omitted the tarka to reduce the fats.

  • Lepa on May 28, 2025

    We liked -but didn't love- this dal. I wanted this to be spicier but it might be my fault because I added too much coconut milk (I hate using only part of a can!)

  • CourtneyT on April 08, 2025

    I made this as I had most of the ingredients on hand. I was home with two kittens recovering from neutering and couldn't pop out to the store so I subbed 1/2t ground ginger for the fresh ginger and rather than fresh tomatoes I used some tomato slices that I dehydrated last year. (I soaked them in hot water for a couple of hours. ) I also didn't have split mung dal so used white urid dal instead. Despite multiple substitutions, we thoroughly enjoyed this and it made for a hearty meal. I topped with some thick yoghurt and avocado slices. We have plenty left over for the next few days.

  • bernalgirl on December 01, 2024

    I used a variety of lentils since I’m out of mung beans, and left out the fennel. I loved this hearty dal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

  • aargle on November 01, 2024

    This is one of the best dals I've ever made and I have made many over the years. Absolutely delicious with the fennel in it and did what I was told and soaked the lentils for an hour. Have already made it twice. Thoroughly recommend.

  • linacuisine2021 on October 12, 2024

    Very nice and tasty recipe! it takes time to prepare but then it keeps well for days and can be paired with rice / fish etc

  • Ganga108 on October 01, 2024

    I was sceptical about this recipe, as I am about most of Ottolenghi's Indian-style recipes. The cooking time seemed extraordinary for the two lentils that he uses (1 hr, once the lentils are added to the dish). But I decided to go with it, and it was delicious. The long cooking time allows the dals to fall apart, the fennel and tomatoes to disappear into the dish, and the potatoes to become very very soft indeed. The fennel imparts a lovely sweetness to the dish, a counterpoint to the spiciness. Lime juice adds the sour notes. Overall, the dish is incredibly comforting. (Notes: I had to add some more water half way through the cooking. The recipe makes quite a lot.)

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