The perfect summer side dish and certainly a welcome takeaway for any barbecue.
Well, I love eating lentils in all their varieties. But not because they are so healthy (and they are!) but because they simply taste great and can be "incorporated" into so many dishes.
With this recipe, I would like to introduce you to a lentil salad that is not only quick, but works both lukewarm and cold and can easily be stored in the fridge for 2 days.
Just bring this salad to your next dinner party and you will receive compliments.
Ingredients for 4 people (as a side dish):
- 200 gr red lentils
- 1/2 red, 1/2 green pepper, diced
- 1-2 carrots (depending on size), diced
- 3-5 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- Salt (according to taste)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- sweet and sour seasoning paste (for example from "Arche" natural food "Sweet & Sour" seasoning sauce)
- some fresh green chilli for those who like it hotter
- handful of fresh basil leaves for garnish
Preparation:
First prepare the dressing. Mix the lemon juice with a tsp of salt, the sugar, the seasoning paste, the garlic and 2 tbsp of olive oil.
Then wash the lentils well. This works well in a fine sieve.
Almost no milky water should run out. Then cover the lentils with enough water in a pot and simmer for max. 5-8 min. Please do a cooking test after 5 min. Red lentils are cooked very quickly and become slightly mushy. The lentils should still have some bite. Strain the finished lentils and pour into a salad bowl and mix with the dressing immediately, set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and add the vegetables (peppers, carrots). Sauté the vegetables briefly (for max. 2 min). Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the spring onions and, if using, the chilli.
Add the warm vegetables with the oil from the pan to the lentils and mix everything well again and season to taste. Add more salt and seasoning if necessary. Garnish with a few basil leaves and the salad is ready.
Either eat the salad straight away or store it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
You can also add more vegetables to the salad - depending on your taste and mood.
Well then, I hope you will soon be invited to a great barbecue and can present this salad. Have fun cooking it.
xx Dipika
P.S. You can also find the recipe for my burger buns on my blog.
