Curried Red Lentil Salad
This salad uses dried red lentils marinated in a vinaigrette made with oil, vinegar, sriracha, honey, garam masala, salt, dry mustard and turmeric. The salad makes a great side dish to Indian dishes.
Ingredients
11⁄2 cups corn oil
1⁄3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. sriracha sauce
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. garam masala
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
1⁄2 tsp. turmeric
1 lb. dried red lentils
2 qt. boiling water
1⁄2 cup Italian parsley, minced
1⁄2 cup red onions, finely diced
8-oz. log semi-soft goat cheese
1⁄4 cup coarsely ground black pepper
1 lb. mixed baby lettuces
16 pieces semi-dried marinated tomatoes
Steps
1. For vinaigrette, whisk together oil, vinegar, sriracha, honey, garam masala, salt, dry mustard and turmeric. Set aside.
2. Wash lentils and drain. In large pot, cook lentils in boiling water until just tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and rinse lentils well.
3. Reserve 1/2 cup of vinaigrette for lettuces. Combine remaining vinaigrette with lentils. Refrigerate overnight.
4. Two to four hours before serving, add parsley and onions to lentils and place back into refrigerator. Roll goat cheese in cracked black pepper to coat, and then refrigerate.
5. To plate each order, toss 2 ounces of mixed greens with 1 tablespoon of dressing and place in semicircle around edge of plate. Place ½ cup of lentil salad in center of plate. Garnish with two ½-oz. slices peppered goat cheese and 2 pieces of marinated tomatoes.
Recipe by University of Missouri Health Care, Columbia, Mo.