Puy Lentil Salad Curried-Yoghurt Dressing

Why do our omnivorous ways leave us at such a loose end where veggies are concerneds? Options need not reside with the unappealingly steamed or the over-compensatedly fatty options. Last week, we sultry-fied cauliflower and this week we throw an interesting spin on lentil salad.
Today’s dish uses Puy Lentils (Lentile de Puy) and is know as the caviar of lentils. It really is that special. The lentil holds up really well in salads and sautés because of it’s less starchy, non mushy character. Whilst this might not be a pantry ingredient staple for you presently, go and buy a box because you’ll be dropping it in braises, soups and salads and sautés in no time.
Feeling the need to spice it up and then cool it down – I paired it with a curried-yoghurt dressing. Whilst I am not a fan of using pre-made curry seasoning in my Indian food – I love this spice blend in other dishes, such as Singapore Noodles, salad dressings, soups and some cream-based sauces. The key is to cook the lentils until just done, strain it like you mean it and then toss whilst hot in this tangy sauce. As for the sauce, it couldn’t be more ideal – it has the luxuriousness of dressings like Caesar whilst being light and refreshing.
Puy Lentil Salad With Curried-Yoghurt Dressing
Ingredients
Lentil Salad
- ½ cups French lentils, washed and drained
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ medium-sized red onion, sliced
- ¼ cup wild rice, cooked
- 2 Scallion
- handful of Mint
- handful of cilantro
- handful of mache or arugula
Dressing
- 2 tbsp, whole milk Greek yogurt
- ¼ tsp. curry powder
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp. minced shallot
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1) Combine all dressing ingredients except for olive oil. Stir in the olive oil gradually, whisking well to emulsify
2) Starting the lentils off in excess (covered generously) cold water, bring to boil with bay leaf and reduce to simmer. Cook until just tender – approx. 15 minutes
3) Whilst lentils are still hot, dress in Greek yoghurt and remaining salad ingredients. Set aside for at least 20 minutes