Red Lentil

Khansland Red Lentil is the most important pulse in the daily Bengali kitchen — the foundation of the mellow, comforting musur dal that appears at virtually every meal across all regions of Bangladesh. Our organically sourced red lentils are split and husked whole lentils with a bright orange-red colour, smooth texture, and a mild, earthy-sweet flavour that makes them one of the most versatile and universally loved legumes in South Asian cooking.

Red lentils cook exceptionally quickly — in 15 to 20 minutes without soaking — breaking down smoothly into a velvety, creamy consistency that creates a naturally thick dal without any thickening agents. Their mild flavour acts as a perfect background for the bold temperings of Bengali dal cooking: mustard seeds and kalo jira sputtering in hot mustard oil, sliced shallots fried golden, dried red chili split and blackened, and finally the essential turmeric and green chili.

Beyond plain dal, red lentils are used in khichuri — the quintessential Bengali comfort food of rice and lentils cooked together with ghee and spices — and in lentil soup preparations. Ground to flour, red lentil becomes the batter for masur dal fritters and the thickener for certain fish curry preparations.