Lentils, or dhals, were once despised by meat eaters as the dismal sum of vegetarian cooking. A staple of Far Eastern cooking, now they are being given some limelight in dishes at several of the areas most elegant restaurants. From the earthy Lentilles de Puys on sale at Whole Foods and Dean & DeLuca that go well with duck or good sausage to melting salmon-pink Masoor Dal, lentils make satisfying and highly nutritious dishes. Different kinds have their different uses. Head to any of the area's Indian, Middle East or healthfood markets for the broadest range on offer. Here's a guide to what you'll fnd there.

Dhals can contain stalks and twigs and should be picked over before cooking. Among dishonest  exporters it is not unknown for their weight to have been boosted by the deliberate addition of tiny stones. Wash dhal several times in cold water and drain before proceeding.

Arhar or Toovar Dhal - round, dull yellow grains the size of a very young pea, sometimes with irregular edges.
Chana Dhal - round, yellow grain, smaller than Arhar Dhal, from the chickpea family.
Chhola or Kabli Chana - whole chickpeas.
Lobhia - whole black-eyed peas.
Masoor Dhal - tiny, round, shiny salmon-colored hulled and split grains that turn yellow when cooked.
Moong Dhal - small, green cylindrical grains the size of barley, called mung beans by health food stores; hulled and split, they are small yellow and rectangular. On damp cloths, they grown into beansprouts.
Rajma - whole red kidney beans. Need to be cooked long till absolutely soft for painless digestibility.
Urad Dhal - small, black cylindrical grain when whole; small, off-white rectangular grain when hulled and split. When whole and unhulled, takes a long time to cook.