Lentil Salad in Olive Oil With Egyptian Spices

Submitted by Sharon123

"This is called salata cadas and made with lentils slightly cooked with olive oil, garlic, and spices. Clifford Wright made this as a meze at the Tikka Grill, a restaurant on the corniche of Alexandria in Egypt. Enjoy!"

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seed
• 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seed
• 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom seed
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
• 1 cup dried brown lentils, picked over and rinsed well
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper

directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat with the garlic. As soon as the garlic begins to sizzle remove from the burner, add the cumin, coriander, cardamom, and fenugreek, stir, and set aside.
2. Place the lentils in a medium saucepan of lightly salted cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until al dente, about 25 minutes from when you turned the heat on(or a little longer if you want them softer). Drain and toss with the garlic, olive oil, and spices while still hot. Season with salt and pepper, toss, and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top.
3. Serve at room temperature. Enjoy!

Reviews

[Elmotoo]

Wow this came together quickly! I almost overcooked the lentils. I steeped the spices in the olive oil early so the flavors would meld more. It was absolutely delicious. I served it over arugula which i wouldn't do next time & ate the wee bit that was left as is this morning. Thank you! Made for Welcome to Egypt in the NA/ME Forum 5/12.

 

[COOKGIRl]

Simple and tasty meal! The lentils took closer to forty minutes to cook. The spices were placed in a pestle and mortar and coarsely ground before infused in the olive oil. Served over a bed of baby arugula and I garnished the top of the dish with shallots and fresh chives from the garden to add a little color. To avoid wilting the greens, the lentils were set aside to cool first-about 30 minutes. In the colder months the lentils will be served over hardy greens but will skip cooling the mixture. Reviewed for Veg Tag/September. Thank you, Sharon!

 

[Spice Princess]

All I can really say is, this is soooooo gooooood! I especially love fenugreek, and it's nice to use it in something besides the same old Indian food. Something this fast, easy, and delicious will certainly be made frequently at my house. Thanks so much, Sharon!

 

[Debbie R.]

If you let this sit in the fridge for a day or two, the spices meld to create a wonderful dish.

 

[Sweet Baboo]

I have come to depend on enjoying any recipe I choose of Sharon's, and this is no exception. I am trying to include more lentils into our diet, and this recipe will be in the regular rotation for sure. It looks like a dish of plain lentils, but one bite will tell you it is anything but. I used whole spices which I crushed until almost ground (I like the little bit of crunch, and little surprises of flavour when you chew on a spice fragment), and I only used 3 tablespoons of olive oil, which coated my french lentils perfectly. I really enjoyed this at room temperature, but with the chilled leftovers today, I plan to add a little harrisa, some finely chopped tomatoes, and possibly some feta.