[Recipe with Video] Asian Lentil Salad with a Citrus soy dressing

Why I love lentils?

I did not grow up eating tons of lentils, as it is not common in Chinese cooking. When I moved out and started to cook on my own, I discovered how easy it was to cook lentils, the affordability and how nutritious they are. When my older daughter was a baby, I would add it to her purees, congee and soups. I knew it would give her protein and iron, some of the nutrients important for a child’s development. As the UN declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses (IYP) and Canada is one of the world’s largest pulse producing nations, I will be making a conscious effort to eat pulses such as lentils more often.

About the Asian lentil salad:

This Asian lentil salad is appetizing with Asian pear and a citrus soy dressing, that has both hints of ginger, garlic and chili peppers. With both lentils and edamame, the salad is filling, and looks gorgeous on the table! I used Presidents Choice (PC) Blue Menu green lentils for the recipe.

Dried green lentils

Asian Lentil Salad with a Citrus soy dressing

Course Salad

Author Mary Tang

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of dried green lentils
5 cups of water
1/2 tsp of salt
1 cup of edamame without pods
1 cup of red peppers-sliced
1 cup of red onions- thinly sliced
A handful coriander and Thai basil- torn in pieces

Dressing

1 tsp of brown sugar
5 tsp of soy sauce I used low sodium
1 tbsp of grated ginger
2 cloves of garlic-peeled and minced
1 Thai chili- sliced
A few drops of sesame oil
Juice of 1/2 a lime and the zest can use lemon as well
Juice of 1/2 an orange and the zest

Instructions

Soak the lentils overnight.
Cut the vegetables as indicated in the ingredient list.
Rinse the lentils. In a pot, add the water and the lentils, once the water boils, add the salt and simmer for about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Cook the edamame according to package instructions. They typically take about 3 minutes in a pot of boiling water. Drain and set aside.
In a bowl, mix the lentils, edamame, red peppers and red onions.
In a separate bowl, add all the ingredients in the dressing and mix well. Let it sit there for 5 minutes. The dressing can be made in advance and kept in the fridge overnight.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Add in the Thai basil and coriander and lightly toss.

I have submitted this recipe for a contest with www.lentils.ca where I could win a trip to P.E.I and be coached by Chef Michael Smith on how to create my own cooking show. This is my very first YouTube video, so I can only improve from here. It was challenging as I am new to video production, and it was tough to have my kids stay quiet during the recording.

My readers (you!) have been amazing support, and appreciate if you can watch, like and share it (remember to hashtag #lovelentils). If I win, I will create great video content to share with you.