Chef Irie’s Lentil Salad Recipe

Posted by On July 02, 2016 2 Comments
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Chef Irie's Lentil Salad Recipe

Chef Irie’s Lentil Salad

In Season 1 of “Taste the Islands”, Chef Irie and Maxi Priest created a delicious Lentil Salad that fit into Maxi’s semi-vegetarian lifestyle and would be fairly easy to make on the go. It incorporates optional American sweet potatoes, two types of lentils, dried fruit, herbs and seasonings, and of course a bit of lime for freshness. Although the recipe describes how you can make it all from scratch, the quick and easy way is to use canned lentils to cut prep time and cleanup in half. 

Maxi is famous the world over for his smooth voice and passionate lyrics. He’s not so keen on being in the kitchen though. Chef Irie’s Lentil Salad makes clean living so simple that even he was singing it’s praises. Enjoy!

Serves 4

FOR THE SALAD

  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup brown lentils
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • 2/3 cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup dried apricots, diced
  • 1/3 cup scallions, minced
  • 1/4 cup or 4 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely minced
  • 1/4 cup or 4 tbsp cilantro, finely minced
  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper, minced

FOR THE DRESSING

  • 1 lime
  • 3 tbsp canola oil 

FOR THE SEASONING

  • 2 tsp chili flakes
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • Salt and pepper to taste 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400˚ F. Wash and pierce sweet potatoes several times with a fork. Wrap sweet potatoes with foil and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. When potatoes are tender, remove from oven and chill in refrigerator for 1-2 hours or until potatoes are cool. Once cooled, remove the skin from the potatoes and dice into 1/2 inch cubes.
  2. Rinse brown lentils with fresh water to remove any dust or debris. In a large sauce pan, combine lentils with 3 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. When lentils are boiling, cover tightly and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer lentils until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Optionally you can used canned lentils which have already been cooked and softened. Drain lentils and cool to room temperature.
  3. Rinse red lentils with fresh water. In a medium sauce pan, combine lentils with 3 cups water and bring to a boil. When boiling reduce heat and simmer lentils until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Optionally you can used canned lentils which have already been cooked and softened. Drain lentils and cool to room temperature.
  4. While lentils are cooled, combine lentils, sweet potato and bell pepper in a large bowl.
  5. Add onion, apricots, scallions, parsley and cilantro to lentils and fold to combine.
  6. In a small bowl, combine scotch bonnet pepper, and canola oil. Using a grater or microplane zest lime into the bowl. Cut lime in half and squeeze juice into the bowl. Whisk to combine.
  7. Pour dressing over lentils and fold until salad is evenly combined with the dressing. Sprinkle on the seasoning blend to taste and serve.
 

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