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–+ servings
whole black lentil salad

Easy Black Lentil Salad: A Taste of the Mid-East

Soak and cook black lentils; slice red onion and marinate with pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper; dice sweet red and yellow mini peppers; slice grape tomatoes into roundels. To assemble the salad, mix the cooked and cooled lentils with marinated onions, peppers and tomatoes. Garnish with hand-torn fresh basil leaves and feta cheese. Serve immediately alongside soup, salad, focaccia bread, or other accompaniments. Enjoy!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Lentil: Soaking Time, cooling cooked lentils 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Lebanese, Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern
Servings 4 people
Calories 120 kcal

Equipment

  • Heavy bottom, medium frying pan (10 in / 25 cm) non-stick, ceramic, or un-coated stainless steel

Ingredients
  

For Lentils

  • 1/3 cup Black lentils - dried if not available, it's OK to use any other lentil variety available
  • 1 tsp Oil I use peanut oil; other neutral flavored oil OK; do NOT use Extra Virgin Olive Oil in this step
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 whole Dried red chilli pepper - optional if not available, use 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1/8 tsp Salt

Marinated red onions

  • 1/4 cup Red Onions - sliced if not available, white/yellow onions OK too
  • 1 tsp Pomegranate Molasses If not available, see Recipe Notes for other options
  • 1/16 tsp Salt
  • 1/8 tsp Black pepper - freshly crushed preferred
  • 1/16 tsp Sugar

Other Salad Ingredients

  • 4-5 whole Red Grape/Cherry tomatoes - sliced medium thin If not available, use regular tomatoes: about 1/3 cup chopped
  • 3 tbsp red sweet mini-pepper - about 1 medium mini pepper if not available, use sweet Red bell pepper
  • 3 tbsp yellow/orange sweet mini-pepper - about 1 medium pepper - diced small if not available, use sweet Yellow/Orange bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup Fresh Basil leaves use tender stems too - they pack a lot of flavor; if not available, use fresh Parsley along with dried Basil
  • 2 tbsp Feta Cheese - crumbled if not available, use crumbled Paneer tossed with a tiny pinch of salt; for vegan salad, use crumbled firm tofu tossed with a tiny pinch of salt and 2-3 drops of olive oil

For Dressing - Toss with salad just before serving

  • 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil: cold-pressed preferred if not available, other high quality oil is OK: (sesame oil, avocado oil, walnut oil, almond oil, etc.)
  • 1 tsp Lime/Lemon juice - freshly squeezed preferred if not available, bottled juice OK
  • 1 tsp Pomegranate Molasses If not available, see Recipe Notes for other options
  • 1 tsp Green Olives - pitted and chopped finely - optional if using, see note about salt
  • 1/16 tsp Salt - omit if using olives
  • 3/8 tsp Freshly crushed Black Pepper (preferred)
  • 1/8 tsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Fresh Thyme (optional) fresh thyme preferred; if not available, use 1/8 tsp dried thyme, or 1/8 tsp dried marjoram, or omit

Instructions
 

Soak the Black Lentils

  • Rinse 1/3 cup dried black lentils 2-3 times until water runs clear - use a mesh strainer if need be, and transfer to a small bowl.
    dried black lentils
  • Add measured 1/3 cup hot water to the lentils and set aside for about 30 min to soak.
    Do NOT add excess water!
    Note: Soaking the lentils in cold water takes a bit longer (1-2 hours). If you plan ahead, you can even let the lentils soak overnight - covered, on the counter.
  • The lentils will swell as they absorb almost all the water as they soak: a little water might be left at the bottom- do not drain it away - use it while cooking the lentils.
  • 1/3 cup dry lentils yield about 2/3 cup of the soaked lentils.
    black lentils soaked

Marinate the onions

  • While the lentils soak, prep the other materials.
    Slice the red onions, medium thin: 1/8 inch / 0.2 cm
    sliced red onion
  • Add pomegranate molasses. If not available, see Recipe Notes for substitutes
    onion and pomegranate molasses
  • Add salt, pepper and sugar; mix well and set aside to marinate (15-20 min), while you prepare everything else.
    marinating onions

Prep the peppers

  • Slice and dice the sweet red mini pepper - remove seeds.
    sweet mini pepper diced
  • Slice and dice the sweet yellow mini pepper - remove seeds.
  • Rinse and slice the grape tomatoes into roundels.
    grape tomatoes sliced

Make the salad dressing

  • In a small bowl, mix the pomegranate molasses with olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar, thyme and lime/lemon juice. Set aside until ready to assemble the salad.

Cook the soaked lentils

  • Heat oil in a small-medium frying pan (8-10 inch/20-25 cm) on medium heat for about 1 minute.
    Add cumin seeds - they will begin to sizzle immediately. Turn the heat to low, and add the dried red chilli pepper (or crushed red pepper) - if using.
    tadka w cumin and red chilli
  • Wait 5-10 seconds, then add the soaked lentils along with any leftover soaking water - there might be about 1 tbsp or so.
    add lentils to tadka
  • Cover with a well-fitting lid and cook on Hi for 1-2 min, then lower heat to low-medium and continue to cook for 8-10 min.
    Note: After 4-5 min, remove the lid and stir, to check for browning/burning at the bottom: add a splash of water if need be, cover and continue to cook till lentils are fully cooked, but still firm and not mushy soft.
    cook black lentils with cumin
  • Set aside, uncovered & undisturbed, till it cools to room temperature - about 10 min.
    This allows the cooked lentils to firm up a bit more, so they don't get mushy when you transfer them to a large bowl.
    When cooled to room temperature, gently transfer the cooked lentils to a large bowl, taking care to not 'mush' the lentils while transferring.
    Remove the red chilli, or leave it in, if you like.
    cooked black lentils
  • Add the prepared peppers and tomatoes to the lentils.
    assemble black lentil salad
  • Rinse the fresh basil leaves; set aside a small sprig for garnish, and hand-tear the leaves into small pieces.
    Finely chop any tender stems (discard tough and woody stems) - they pack lots of flavor!
    Add the hand-torn basil along with the chopped stems to the salad bowl and sprinkle with feta cheese and green olives (if using)
    Do NOT mix salad until ready to serve.
    Sweet basil leaves
  • When ready to serve, add the dressing and toss gently to mix.
    Serve immediately.... This salad goes really well with a bowl of steaming hot soup and/or a sandwich.... and also with Italian pasta.... Asian-style noodles or Fried Rice.... Indian Roti-Sabji.... It's entirely your call!
    And, of course, you might well decide to skip everything else and instead, just have a BIG serving of this salad, all by itself!
    whole black lentil salad
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Pomegranate Molasses not available?
Use one of the following combinations instead for marinating the onions as well as for tossing with the salad as 'dressing':
  • 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar + pinch of sugar (1/16 tsp) 
  • 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar + pinch of brown sugar (1/16 tsp) 
  • 1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar + pinch of brown sugar (1/16 tsp) 
  • 1 tsp Rice Vinegar + pinch of brown sugar (1/16 tsp) 
  • 1 tsp White wine vinegar + pinch of brown sugar (1/16 tsp) 
  • 1/2 tsp distilled wine vinegar + 1/2 tsp lime/lemon juice + pinch of brown sugar (1/16 tsp) 
  • Anardana: whole or powdered dried pomegranate arils
    • Soak 1 tsp Anardana in 1 tbsp hot water, covered, for about 20 min.Then use the soaking liquid:
      • if using whole seeds, strain the mixture with a mesh strainer to remove the seed residue - it stays a bit hard-textured, even after soaking
      • if using ground Anardana, no need to strain after soaking: just use all of it
      • the soaking liquid tastes like sour pomegranate, so needs to be sweetened a bit before using: add 1/16 tsp sugar
      • use this liquid like pomegranate molasses, as described in the Recipe directions.
  •  
 
Storing Leftovers:
I recommend making just enough salad to polish it off the day you make it! 
However, if you do have leftover salad, refrigerate it in a glass/ceramic bowl and try to consume it within a couple of days. 
  • The vegetables will become a bit wilted, but will still taste good.
Note:
I do NOT recommend freezing this salad!
Why?
Because, upon thawing, the texture and appearance of all the vegetables will be quite unappealing!
 

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 120kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 6gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 234mgPotassium: 228mgFiber: 6gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 425IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Bean salad, Black Lentils, Fresh Basil, Legume Salad, Lentil Salad, Masoor Salad, Mediterranean salad, Middle-Eastern food, MiddleEastern salad, Pomegranate Molasses, Protein-rich salad, Salad, Whole Lentils, Whole Masoor
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