Smoked Lentil Salad with Sriracha Miso Mayonnaise
Picnics, lunches, dinners: here's your go-to salad.
The ingredients are basic, but the final product is anything but: onion and garlic powder, chopped celery, onion, carrots, cucumber, and tomato, crushed garlic, lentils, cumin, miso, mayonnaise...
Merrill pours the rinsed lentils into a pot.
Onion, powder, garlic powder, and cumin scent the lentils as they soak.
A twenty-minute soak is all these lentils need before cooking.
Celery, carrots, garlic, and just-translucent onions form the flavor pedestal on which the salad will sit.
Those cumin-scented soaked lentils get drained and added to the pot of sauteed vegetables.
Spread on baking sheets to cool, this salad already looks good enough to eat.
Soaking wood chips before use keeps them from burning during the smoking process. (The tree that overhangs Amanda's deck is molting, hence that little green seed.)
Wrap the soaked wood chips in heavy-duty foil, then pierce the packet so the aromatic smoke can get out.
Smoking the lentils is a genius trick -- we couldn't stop smelling them when they came out of the grill.
Back in the kitchen, Merill mixes together the dressing. First up: sriracha.
Miso joins the party next, sweet and salty and funky.
And mayonnaise brings it all together into a spreadable, complex sauce.
Scrape the smoked and unsmoked cooled lentils into a bowl -- it's almost time to eat.
NBrush recommends adding the dressing in stages so you can taste as you go.
We used barely half of the mayonnaise mixture, but your mileage may vary.
The cucumber and tomato add crunch and brightness to the smoky, spicy salad.
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Author Notes: Mayonnaise is so rich it cuts the heat of the Sriracha sauce and mellows the saltiness of the miso paste without overwhelming either; smoking lentils with wood chips adds an unexpected dimension to this unusual salad. - NBrush
Food52 Review: WHO: NBrush is a FOOD52er with recipes inspired by international flavors.
WHAT: A rich salad packed with flavor: mesquite smokiness, spiciness, and the sweet funk of miso.
HOW: A simple lentil saute is elevated to new heights from a brief stint smoking (!) in the grill with wood chips before a sriracha-miso mayonnaise brings everything together.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The best salads transcend their ingredients to develop flavors you'd never guess their components could take on. We look forward to packing this in our lunches for weeks to come. - A&M
Serves 6
- 1/2 pound green lentils, rinsed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 cup yellow onion,medium diced
- 3 celery stalks, medium diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 11/2 cups low sodium vegatble broth
- 1/2 cup mesquite or hickory chips
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- 1/4 cup white miso paste
- 1 cup cucumber, diced small
- 1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced small
- 1/2 cup sweet onions dieced small
- a few grinds black pepper
- In a large heat-proof bowl mix the lentils, cumin, onion and garlic powders then add enough boiling water to cover then soak, covered for 20 minutes.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, lower the heat to medium, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the onion, celery and kosher salt, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Stir in the carrots and the drained lentils. Add the vegetable broth, adjust the heat to high and bring to a boil. When it comes to a boil, immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 15- 20 minutes until the lentils are just tender. Spread the lentils evenly on two rimmed baking sheets and leave at room temperature.
- Meanwhile, soak the wood chips in a small bowl with enough water to cover for 20 minutes.
- Adjust the heat on a grill to medium high. Drain and wrap the wood chips in a pouch made out of aluminum foil. Pierce the pouch several times, place near the grill’s heating element (or according to grill directions) and close the grill. After 10 minutes, place one tray of lentils in the grill, close and smoke for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the smoke subside for 5 minutes. The lentils will turn a little red. Reserve the other tray of lentils unsmoked.
- Finish the mayonnaise while the lentils are smoking. In a small bowl thoroughly mix the Sriracha sauce and miso paste with the mayonnaise, cover and refrigerate.
- Allow the lentils to cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Transfer both trays to a large mixing bowl and gently fold half of the mayo. Refrigerate, covered until well chilled about 2-4 hours.
- Add the cucumbers, tomatoes and onions to the lentils and combine. Fold the rest of the Sriracha Miso Mayonnaise into the bowl, mix and refrigerate until chilled. Top with a few grinds of ground pepper and serve.
- Your Best Mayonnaise-Based Salad Contest Winner!
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about 1 month ago ntt2
I made this today and it was fabulous - deeply rich and flavorful, but bright spicy as well!
9 months ago Count Mockula
I tried this with two changes: First, I substituted plain yogurt for the mayo (it's just me: I hate mayonnaise). I also skipped the lentil-smoking step and just added 1/2 tsp liquid smoke. It saved my husband some dish-washing. I loved the blend of flavors! We had it for dinner tonight.
9 months ago pointfndr
Good Luck!
10 months ago gr8chefmb
What a cool idea! I wish I had thought of this first...LOLOL! Can't wait to try this recipe. BTW, for those who don't wish to or aren't able to, check popular kitchen supply stores for indoor smoking apparatus. :-)
10 months ago dana_tomlin
I tested this recipe for the contest -lots of fun. These are my testing notes:
this fresh salad is a great balance of flavors. The smokiness of the lentils mixed with the heat of the sriracha, tang of the mayo, and the salt of the miso really works! I like all of the ingredients (which is why i picked it to test). Mixing them together seemed perfect. Plus, smoking the lentils was a new & fun technique. The smokiness is not overbearing, as you only smoke half of the batch. I think this is one of those dishes that would be a conversation starter. Heating up the grill to smoke the lentils felt a little wasteful so i would pair this salad with grilled chicken or make a smoker inside.
my 2cents :)
10 months ago Bertie Beetnup
Great going Nan. Bud43.
10 months ago NBrush
Thank you so much everyone for your support, and please let me know what you think.
10 months ago gingerroot
Congrats on being a finalist with this delicious salad! I can't wait to try it.
10 months ago sdebrango
Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Congratulations! Your smoky lentils sound fantastic!
10 months ago savorthis
Congrats on being a finalist! This recipe had really caught my eye as lentils are one of my very favorite things. I love that both are recipes have smokey flavors :)
10 months ago gingerroot
I knew mayo and sriracha were a great pair, but to add miso and smoked lentils? YUM! This sounds fantastic.
10 months ago NBrush
Thank you Gingerroot, I'm so happy that you like the combination.
10 months ago NBrush
Thank you gingerroot, I'm sorry for the delay in responding--I must have turned off the button.
10 months ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Wow I would never have thought to smoke lentils but it sounds great!!!
10 months ago NBrush
Your vinaigrette was my inspiration for this combination.
10 months ago sdebrango
Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Smoked lentils, what a great idea. I think lentils would be fantastic with that smoky flavor. The salad sounds great.