Black Lentil Salad – perfect for picnics

This black lentil salad features aromatic fresh herbs and nutty seeds it is super easy to put together.
An extremely packable salad that is ideal to take to your next picnic or pot luck.

This Black Lentil Salad features a plethora of fresh herbs – fragrant mint, citrusy coriander and aromatic flat-leaf parsley. A perfect match for the rich earthy flavour of the lentils and the nutty seeds.

What are Black Lentils?

Black lentils are sometimes called beluga because of their resemblance to caviar. They are perfect for salads as they keep their shape when you cook them.
You should be able to find black lentils in large supermarkets with the other beans and legumes. Or, try a Middle Eastern speciality store.
You can substitute with green lentils. But, green lentils take longer to cook, (up to 40-60 minutes in total) and need a lot more water to cook.

preparing the black (beluga) lentils

1. Sift through the lentils to remove pebbles or other debris. Discard any lentils that are shrivelled or discoloured.
2. Place the lentils in a colander and rinse them under cold water, they will be clean when the water runs clear.
3. Transfer the clean lentils to a pot and add 4 cups of water for the 2 cups of dried lentils (1 cup dry lentils = 2 cups of liquid). Use enough for the lentils to absorb and cook in so that you don’t lose any nutrients. Add more water if necessary.
4. Add 2 pinches of salt (1 pinch for every cup).
5. Cover the lentils and bring them to a simmer. Cook them over low heat, stirring occasionally and add more liquid as needed. Cook until tender approximately 25-30 minutes.
6. Remove the lentils from the stove when done, place in a colander and rinse to cool. Strain well.

How To make this salad

While your black lentils are simmering, prepare your herbs, seeds and vinaigrette.

1. Toast your seeds in a hot oven until golden brown (approximately 10-15 minutes).
2. Wash all your herbs, shake, pat dry and then chop.
3. Wash and trim your green onion and slice thinly.
4. Add all the vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar and shake until emulsified.
5. Place all the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl, pour over the vinaigrette and mix well to combine.
6. Arrange it the salad in a bowl and scatter with the sesame seeds and pistachios. Serve immediately.

Serving ideas

This salad makes a perfect summer side dish or a gluten-free vegetarian main course. Great with barbecued meats, especially lamb.
You could also pair it with an Indian curry, grilled salmon, lamb, pork or any poultry. I made this salad for a picnic feast and served it with some spicy lamb kofta and tzatziki.

Make-ahead tips

• You can boil the lentils several days in advance and store them covered in your fridge. Take them out when you are ready to assemble the salad.
• You can roast your sesame seeds a week or more in the advance. Cool and store them in a sealed container in a dark part of your pantry. If you are storing them longer than a week then keep them in your fridge to prevent rancidity.
• Make the dressing 1-2 days in advance and keep it in a sealed glass container in your fridge.
• This salad is ideal to meal prep for lunches throughout the week as it keeps well.

Try some more bean & legume salads:

Black Lentil Salad

This black lentil salad features aromatic fresh herbs and nutty seeds and is super easy to put together and extremely packable to take to your next picnic or pot luck.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

* Times are an estimate and will depend on your skill level

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Australian, Middle Eastern

Keyword: Intermediate

Servings: 6 as a side

Calories: 396kcal

Ingredients

For the salad…

• 2 cups black lentils¹ (dried)
• 2 cups parsley (chopped)
• 1 cup mint (chopped)
• 1 cup coriander (cilantro) (chopped)
• 3 spring onions (sliced)
• 4 tbsps sesame seeds (toasted)
• 1 tbsp Nigella seeds²
• 4 tbsps pistachios (crushed)

For the vinaigrette…

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsps lime juice
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes (or more if you like it spicy)

For the garnish…

• 1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted
• 2 tbsps pistachios crushed

Metric – Imperial

Instructions

• Place your cleaned and sorted black lentils in a saucepan, cover with 4-5 cups cold water and 2 pinches of salt and simmer until tender (approximately 25-30 minutes). Remove to a colander when done and rinse with cold water, transfer to a mixing bowl.
• Toast your seeds in a hot oven until golden brown (approximately 10-15 minutes).
• Wash all your herbs, shake, pat dry and then chop.
• Wash and trim your green onion and slice thinly.
• Add all the vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar and shake until emulsified.
• Place all the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl, pour over the vinaigrette and stir until well combined.
• Arrange the salad in a salad bowl and scatter with the sesame seeds, pistachios and serve immediately.

Notes

1. You should be able to find black lentils in large supermarkets in the aisle with the other beans and legumes. Alternatively, try a Middle Eastern speciality store.
   They can be substituted with Green lentils. Green lentils take longer to cook, (up to 40-60 minutes in total) and require a lot more water to cook (detailed instructions are in the post on how to cook the lentils).
2. Nigella seeds can be found in Middle Eastern food shops or specialty spice shops.They can be substitued with black sesame or poppy seeds. 

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 311mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2299IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 9mg

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