Skip to content
Open menu Close menu

Feed your appetite for cooking with Penguin’s expert authors

penguin logo

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Crushed Puy Lentils with Tahini and Cumin

A flavoursome twist on hummus from Yotam Ottolenghi, these lentils are best served with warm pitta bread for a light dinner or hearty working-from-home lunch.

From the book

Yotam Ottolenghi

Introduction

This recipe has been through various incarnations before ending up uncannily similar to one of the typical Arab hummus variations I am used to from my childhood: warm hummus, topped with whole soft chickpeas and served with raw onion and hard-boiled egg. Here it is made with lentils and tomatoes but, essentially, we are talking about a similar set of hearty flavours that can set you up nicely for a busy day, or be served as an early supper. For a dairy-free option, substitute the butter with more olive oil. Serve this with a pitta and nothing else

Read more Read less

Ingredients

200g Puy lentils
30g unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
4 medium tomatoes, blanched, skinned and cut into 1cm dice (330g)
25g coriander, chopped
60g tahini paste
2 tbsp lemon juice
small red onion, thinly sliced (25g)
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
½ tsp paprika, to garnish (optional)
salt and black pepper

Method

Bring a medium pan of water to the boil. Add the lentils and cook for 20–30 minutes or until completely cooked. Drain and set aside.

Put the butter and oil in a large sauté pan and place on a medium–high heat. Once the butter melts, add the garlic and cumin and cook for about a minute. Add the tomatoes, 20g of the coriander and the cooked lentils. Continue to cook and stir for a couple of minutes before adding the tahini, lemon juice and 70ml of water, along with 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Lower to a medium heat and continue to stir and cook gently for about 5 minutes, until hot and thickened. Using a potato masher, roughly mash the lentils a little so that some are broken up and you get a thick porridge consistency.

Spread the lentils on a flat serving plate and sprinkle with the onion, remaining coriander and a final drizzle of olive oil. Serve warm with the hard-boiled eggs alongside and a sprinkle of paprika, if using.

Reviews

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.

Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use.

There are no comments yet

Be the first to leave a review

More Yotam Ottolenghi recipes


View all

newsletter

Subscribe to The Happy Foodie email newsletter

Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week

From the book: Plenty More

Close menu