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Black lentil salad on a ceramic plate with sesame seeds and mint sprigs on the side.
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3.84 from 6 votes

Black Lentil Salad

Shake up your traditional salad routine with this Black Lentil Salad; it features aromatic fresh herbs and nutty seeds it is super easy to put together.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Australian, Middle Eastern
Keyword: Asian herbs, beluga lentil, black lentils, sesame
Difficulty: Capable Cooks
Diet: dairy free, Gluten free, Vegan, Vegetarian,
Servings: 6 as a side
Calories: 341kcal

Ingredients

For the salad…

  • 1 ½ cup dried black lentils (300 grams / 10.6 ounces; 4 cups cooked black lentils cooked 600 grams / 21.2 ounces)
  • 2 cups red cabbage, chopped (approximately 200 grams / 7 ounces)
  • 1 small carrot (approximately 120 grams / 4.2 ounces 1 ½ cup grated)
  • 1 bunch coriander ( ½ cups chopped)
  • 1 bunch mint (1 cup chopped)
  • 2 green onions (½ cup sliced)
  • 4 tablespoons sesame seeds

For the dressing…

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • cup lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds toasted

Instructions

Step 1 - Cook the Black Lentils

  • Sift through the lentils to remove pebbles or other debris. Discard any lentils that are shrivelled or discoloured.
  • Place the lentils in a colander and rinse them under cold water, they will be clean when the water runs clear.
  • Transfer the clean lentils to a pot and cover them with water you will need a handspan of water above the lentils.
  • Stir in a teaspoon of salt to bring out the earthy flavour of the lentils.
  • Cover the lentils, but make sure you leave a gap between the lid and the pot; otherwise, they will boil over.
  • Bring them to a simmer and cook them over low heat, stirring occasionally, adding more liquid and removing the scum as needed.
  • Cook the black lentils until they are tender, approximately 20 minutes.
  • When done, remove them from the stove, drain and rinse them until cold water to cool.

Step 2 - Roast Seeds

  • Preheat your oven to 180C/356F, place your sesame seeds on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown (approximately 10-15 minutes).

Step 3 - Chop the Veggies

  • Remove the outer damaged leaves of your red cabbage, give it a rinse, remove the core of the cabbage.
  • Dice the cabbage into small pieces, place it in a colander and wash it under cold running water in the sink.
  • Wash the carrot, trim it, peel it, then coarsely grate it using a box grater.

Step 4 - Prep the Herbs and Onion

  • Washyour herbs and green onions, pat them dry to remove the excess water.
  • Trim the onions and thinly slice them, cut off the coriander/cilantro stalks and chop roughly.
  • Strip the mint leaves and chop roughly.

Step 5 - Shake-up Dressing

  • Add all the vinaigrette ingredients to a glass jar.
  • Season and shake until emulsified (well combined).

Step 6 - Assemble the Salad

  • Place all the prepared ingredients and lentils in a large mixing bowl.
  • Season and pour over the dressing, mix everything until well to combine.
  • Arrange in a salad bowl and keep chilled until ready to serve.

Video

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).

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 360mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2446IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 6mg