Spicy Yellow Lentil, Tomato & Vegetable Salad
Spicy but simple, fresh, colorful and fun, this is a alternative to those same-old, same-old Summer salads- and especially to... heavens forbid- those awful and clumsy "rice salads"... we can do better than that!
I decided to use these yellow lentils, also known as "Moong Dal" in India, which is probably where they are most commonly eaten, because they a little more unusual, a lot more fast cooking and obviously, a lot prettier than many other lentils. So, if you don't already have these at home- off you go to your Indian supermarket! You are going to enjoy these... word!
There is nothing Indian about this dish- it is simply a tasty, filling, refreshing salad, given a bit of an extra "kick" by some ground chili flakes and lime juice- which makes it also into a good side dish for a steak from the grill for example... it is a very versatile Summer salad.
To make 2 nice servings, I needed 2 cups of yellow lentils, 2 small carrots, 4-5 of the small inner stalks of celery, 10 cherry tomatoes, 1 Spring onion, 1 lime, little parsley and a good handful of cilantro.
Seasoning was simply salt, pepper, chili flakes and a good pinch of fennel seeds... simple stuff as always.
I am sure that just one look at this picture will tell you just how refreshing and delicious this salad is... at least I hope so!
Luckily for you, the prep-work for this is just as simple as it ever is for any of my dishes- simply peel and thinly slice the 2 little carrots, the small, pale, tender stalks of celery and the Spring onion and you are already, ready to rumble!
And
again here I used what must be a very familiar method to cook this dish
by now, pouring just enough boiling water over the lentils and then
simmering them away for 4-5 minutes in a frying pan rather than a
saucepan, until the water has been soaked-up during cooking, or
evaporated away.
Once that has happened and the frying pan is dry once more, add the thinly sliced carrot, celery and Spring onion, season with a good pinch of chili flakes, salt, pepper and a nice sprinkle of fennel seed and add enough boiling water again to just cover the ingredients.
Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, pop on the lid and allow to cook for a further 10 minutes and in the meantime, get busy cutting those cherry tomatoes into quarters.
Once that has happened and the frying pan is dry once more, add the thinly sliced carrot, celery and Spring onion, season with a good pinch of chili flakes, salt, pepper and a nice sprinkle of fennel seed and add enough boiling water again to just cover the ingredients.
Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, pop on the lid and allow to cook for a further 10 minutes and in the meantime, get busy cutting those cherry tomatoes into quarters.
Once the lentils have cooked for 20 minutes in all- 10 minutes on their own and 10 minutes with the celery, carrot and onion, they can be served-up, hot, lukewarm or even chilled- the choice is yours and it all tastes good.
Spoon-out the lentil and vegetable mix first and then scatter this generously with coriander and parsley leaves, then lay out the cherry tomato quarters on top, followed by a good scattering of the intensely flavorful, tender leaves from the middle of the celery.
Drizzle with the juice of half a lemon, a good splash of olive oil and the last touch of salt and pepper to taste... and that's all!
Not simply colorful- but simply good food!
Grab your sunglasses, grab a fork- and enjoy!
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