Warm Lentil and Rice Salad

From Gourmet Vegetarian, Jane Price, Murdoch Books, 2007.

I am not overly excited about heavy salads, ones made with pasta or rice. These somehow don’t really feel like salads. For me, a salad is something quite light that accompanies heavier meals. A salad that is filling and heavier does not truly do the complementary job that I feel is its role. That said, sometimes a rice salad can be just right as an accompaniment for some meals.

I have not cooked over much from Gourmet Vegetarian but the lentil and rice salad looked—at least from the photograph—as if it might be just right for what I wanted. And as it was a warm salad it would just be like serving rice with a meal.

Both the rice and the lentils had to be cooked separately. While this was happening some red onion and garlic were slowly fried in olive oil and butter. The rice was ready sometime before the lentils so the onions had a little longer time to cook which enabled them to be wonderfully soft and sweet.

Into the onion and garlic went ground coriander, cumin, paprika and cinnamon to cook for a few minutes.

The lentils were ready by now so they were mixed with the rice, and the onion and spice mix was stirred in. Seasonings were added, together with chopped spring onions.

The salad was served warm without a dressing.

Lentils and rice always go together really well and with the added onions and spices this was quite flavoursome. For my taste I think I would have preferred that there was a vinegary or lemony dressing to go with this to add a little more bite.

Taste: ✔✔✔ 

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔