Sweet and Sour Lentils

5 from 11 votes

Sweet and Sour Lentils

Sweet and sour lentils are an easy, versatile, quick lunch! Serve over rice or stuff into lettuce wraps with toppings like green onions and sesame seeds for a delicious, flavor-packed meal. (gluten-free, soy-free)

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: lunch

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: sweet and sour lentils

Servings:

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the Sweet and Sour Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce Use tamari for gluten-free or coconut aminos for soy-free.
1 tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter or tahini
1 tablespoon sambal oelek
1 teaspoon sriracha optional, or add more sambal oelek, to taste
1/2 inch ginger minced
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

For the Sweet and Sour Lentils

15 ounce can of brown lentils drained and rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils. See recipe in notes for making the lentils from scratch.
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper optional

For Garnish

chopped ripe mango or other juicy fruit, such as oranges
cilantro or green onion
sesame seeds or chopped peanuts

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the sweet and sour sauce ingredients to a skillet and cook over medium heat, and warm for a minute. Press and mix the almond butter until it mixes into the sauce. Stir in the lentils and bell pepper, and bring to a good boil for 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and flavor, if needed.
Serve the sweet and sour lentils at room temperature stuffed into lettuce wraps with garnishes of choice. Or, serve them hot over rice with garnishes on top!

Notes

Sweet and sour lentils are naturally gluten-free and soy-free. For nut-free, use tahini instead of almond butter and omit the peanut garnish.

To make the lentils from scratch: Wash and soak 1/2 cup of dry brown lentils for at least half an hour in warm water. Drain, wash and add the lentils, 1/8 teaspoon salt, a generous dash of pepper, and 1.5 cups water to a pan. Cook covered on high heat. Reduce heat to medium once the water comes to a rapid boil. Check for doneness after 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low-medium and cook uncovered until lentils are tender and the water is almost all gone, 4-5 minutes.

Nutrition