: Boiling lentils in chicken stock? I have some decent chicken stock that needs using and I am making a takka dhal tonight. I preboil my lentils, and was wondering if I boiled them in the chicken stock, whether or not they

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Yes, they will take up some of the flavor of the stock. However:

1) the flavor will be subtle and hard to detect, especially if you are spicing the dal heavily (as you usually do with Indian food)

2) it's not that authentic, since Indian food is often vegetarian.

Personally, I'd freeze the chicken stock and use it for something else. Or make Turkish lentil soup, which does call for a stock base.

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Lentils cook fast and so don't require preboiling. The dal recipes that I have used cook the lentils in the liquid until it is absorbed.

I would recommend using a recipe that cooks the lentils in the stock directly to include all of the flavor.

If you insist on preboiling then I would agree with others that you should use the stock for something else.

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It wouldn't make a massive difference to the taste - most of the flavour will come from the spices and things you add to the dhal - and the salt in the stock could prevent the lentils from softening as you cook them, leaving them a little tough.