5 Ingredients or Fewer

A Healthy Snack – Roasted Lentils

May 27, 2014
5
3 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

One of my favorite snacks during Indian picnic was tareli dal – fried lentils mixed with cilantro, lime juice and onions. The roasted version tastes equally as good and roasting preserves all the nutrients in the lentils. This easy to make snack is nutritious, and the taste instantly takes me back to India. So put on a bollywood song and get cooking! Also remember to serve it in a cone made out of an old newspaper, that’s how it is served at picnics in India! —Medha | Farm on Plate

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Ingredients
  • Roasted Lentils
  • 2 cups uncooked lentils (Any- black, brown, french, red)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • Green Mango Salsa
  • 1 small green mango diced
  • 1/2 small red onion diced
  • 1 small tomato diced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro/mint leaves
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Roasted Lentils
  2. Take 2 cups of uncooked lentils, sift through and rinse them throughly.
  3. Put the washed lentils in a saucepan with water, covering 2 inches above the lentils.
  4. Bring it to boil, lower the heat and let it simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Stir the lentil occasionally. Overcooking the lentils will make them mushy, so cook them until they are soft from inside and still hold their shape.
  5. Remove from the heat, rinse lentils with cold water and drain well. Spread Lentils on clean kitchen towel or paper towel and let them dry for 15 mins.
  6. Heat oven to 300°F degrees.
  7. Put the cooked lentils in big bowl, coat them with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika and cinnamon powder. Line the baking sheet with a parchment paper, spread the lentils and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until they are crunchy. Remember to give them a stir every 10 minutes during roasting.
  8. Take the pan out of the oven and let the lentils cool. Taste for seasoning and store in air-tight container. Lentils can be stored for 10-15 days.
  9. These lentils can be used to garnish salads or soups and as a quick snack with a green mango salsa.
  1. Green Mango Salsa
  2. In a bowl, mix diced mango, onion, tomatoes and cilantro with one cup of roasted lentils. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle freshly squeezed lemon juice. Give it a good toss and enjoy!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

4 Reviews

James October 4, 2017
Hi. Awesome recipe. I can't believe there are others who were looking for this type of Lentil snack. And then we created a snack product which is now a retail product for sale. It can be found on our website, which is www.simplesupplefoods.com - Just in case you don't have time to cook these up yourself.
Ghazzzit May 3, 2016
These are awesome!! Added these to one of my favorite salad recipes: https://food52.com/recipes/17866-raw-kale-salad-with-lentils-and-sweet-apricot-vinaigrette
The tiny crunchy pack of flavor is a real win, thanks for sharing!
anka February 10, 2015
Love your website. Picture are gorges. Congratulation.
marymary November 2, 2014
You had me at Indian... Just added lentils to my grocery list - thanks for sharing and good luck in the contest!