Red lentils make for a colorful and healthful dish

I have no memory whatsoever about how I came to love the “Mum’s Everyday Red Lentils” recipe by TV chef Aarti Sequeira, though charming she certainly is, but I’ve been making it for quite a few years. Perhaps I discovered it during my almost yearlong stint with veganism, but it really doesn’t matter.

Because right now, many of us — myself included — are in need of a good pulsing.

Now, before you let your imagination off the chain: Lentils are pulses.

Pulses are the dry, edible seeds of plants in the legume family, including beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils. These nutrient-rich ingredients have been cultivated for more than 10,000 years.

Experts say eating more of them can reduce stress and anxiety. They’re also packed with fiber — soluble and insoluble — which is highly beneficial for digestive health and overall gut function.

This recipe is easy. And while Sequeria is known for breathing exciting Indian influences into American favorites, this one is essentially a classic masoor dal tadka: Indian lentil soup.

It ticks about a zillion boxes for both healthy and highly thoughtful diets. Naturally gluten free and vegan, it is high in fiber and protein and low in fat and calories. It’s also jammed with flavor. You can eat it by the mug or bowl, and pair it with basmati rice, roti or dosa (that carb component will make it a complete protein). It’s also versatile.

On this day, for instance, I had an extra couple of carrots in the fridge, so I sliced them into the mix. And since I like things a little spicy, I used one serrano pepper, plus the hefty jalapeno on hand, to heat things up — leaving all the seeds in and dicing it up rather than a simple split cut, as in the instructions. Most of the prep is a cake walk: Rinse lentils, chop vegetables, throw it all in some water, and cook. But the secret sauce is in the tadka, or tempering oil.

Tadka (also known as baghar) is a method by which spices are infused into hot oil, which adds incredible depth of flavor to many Indian dishes. It’s the last step before your lentils are ready to eat — and it will make your kitchen smell absolutely heavenly.

“This dish is so delicious. I know sometimes people think lentils aren’t very exciting, but there is nothing dull about these lentils, let me tell you. They just explode with flavor in your mouth,” Sequeira says in the short Food Network video in which she preps the dish.

It’s true. And like most soups and stews, the dish gets better after a day or two as all those phenomenal flavors begin to meld.