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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    April 20, 2016 321 Comments

    Sweet Korean Lentils

    96.9K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    I WON I WON I WON!

    I'm so subtle, I know. I'm sure you have heard by now, but if not, Canadian Lentils chose me, along with 4 other awesome bloggers: Koko from Koko's Kitchen, Lalitha from Taylor Nutrition, Trudy from Eat Live Play, and Adam from Kook Channel, to go film a cooking show in P.E.I. with Food Network Star Chef Michael Smith. Oh boy, was that an experience!

    Sweet Korean Lentils. All the flavours of Korean BBQ made vegan and gluten free! Sweet and mildly spiced, just 15 minutes to make! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    My entry was this YouTube video where I featured one of my favourite lentil recipes, Lentil Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce. Apparently, the recipe and my quirky personality were well received, as before I knew it, I was on a terrifying little plane on my way to see Chef Michael Smith.

    A full day of filming was dedicated to just little ol' me! At first, I wondered how in the world, it would take so long to film a 15 minute recipe, but the day quickly flew by.

    Chef-Michael-Smith-Filimg-with-Sam-Turnbull-Canadian-Lentils-05

    Filming in front of this giant crew and eight (yes eight) cameras pointing at me, was such a fun/stressful/scary/amazing/exciting/awkward experience... and I absolutely loved it. Someone give me a cooking show please. I want to do this all the time!

    That's not to say it was easy, because it certainly wasn't.

    The director and Chef Michael Smith would give me a 627 instructions (or something like that): look here, say this, don't say that, don't talk about what you're doing, but talk about something, don't say that you are chopping an onion, tell me why you're chopping an onion... "errr... so that it's chopped?"

    It went on like that. Then they follow up all of these instructions by saying "act natural". See how natural I am ↓↓↓ haha! 😁

    Chef-Michael-Smith-Filimg-with-Sam-Turnbull-Canadian-Lentils-02

    I would be chopping up an extremely underripe mango (apparently the camera can't tell) and then suddenly someone would run in to do a close-up of my mango chopping skills (which are hugely lacking p.s.).

    Meanwhile, I'm inching away from the camera afraid of injuring the expensive technology with Michael's large chef knife and the camera man keeps chasing me getting closer and closer to my awkward chopping.

    Chef-Michael-Smith-Filimg-with-Sam-Turnbull-Canadian-Lentils-04

    Regardless of my chopping skills, and lack of knowing what to say, I seemed to work my way through filming, and I was even able to break the entire crew at one point and make them all burst into laughter when they weren't supposed to. FINALLY!!

    Hardest part for sure was that there was a roomful of people that I was having a completely one-sided conversation with. I literally couldn't tell if anyone was remotely interested in what I was yabbering on about, because they couldn't respond.

    At least I know that everyone enjoyed the food. After every cut, the crew would swarm my tacos and quickly devour them all. Wooing the world one delicious vegan meal at a time. Muhahaha!

    Chef-Michael-Smith-Filimg-with-Sam-Turnbull-Canadian-Lentils-01

    I can't reveal all the secrets, because there were some fun (and slightly evil) surprises they had in store for us, but I just can't wait to see/ I am terrified to see the final videos!

    Update: You can now see the final video here.

    Chef-Michael-Smith-Filimg-with-Sam-Turnbull-Canadian-Lentils-03

    Isn't that a lovely looking crew?? It's so much fancier than the crew I am used to (me, myself, and I).

    To celebrate the end of the festivities, Chef Michael Smith taught me how to use a knife to cut the top off of a champagne bottle.

    A big thank you to Ethan from Food Bloggers of Canada for taking all of these photos (and driving my hungover self around P.E.I. the day after the shoot).. what... champagne... And to Rachel from Canadian Lentils for filming this video (and just generally being awesome).

    I wanted to share a recipe in celebration of this super fun event, and since I already posted the Lentil Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce, I decided to make a brand spanking new lentil recipe, cause can you ever have too many lentils? The answer is no.

     

    Sweet Korean Lentils. All the flavours of Korean BBQ made vegan and gluten free! Sweet and mildly spiced, just 15 minutes to make! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    So here we go my friends. All you need is 15 minutes, a few go-to ingredients, and boom, flavour-packed Sweet Korean Lentils are on the table. These lentils are sweet and mildly spiced, a serious nod to Korean BBQ.

    These Sweet Korean Lentils reminds me of when I lived in LA, and my roommate Ashely and I would frequent this little Korean restaurant. They always served this sweet and tangy beef. Now obvi I wasn't going to make that, but this is why I love lentils, anywhere a recipe calls for ground beef, you can pretty much sub lentils. A much healthier and friendlier option, and oh so delicious.

    Sweet Korean Lentils. All the flavours of Korean BBQ made vegan and gluten free! Sweet and mildly spiced, just 15 minutes to make! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    To make Sweet Korean Lentils: mix all the sauciness together. Um, hello delicious looking sauce!

    Sweet Korean Lentils. All the flavours of Korean BBQ made vegan and gluten free! Sweet and mildly spiced, just 15 minutes to make! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Sauté up some onion.

    Side note: Are you supposed to use signed wooden spoons, or are you supposed to display them? I decided the spoon would have a lot more love and appreciation if it was used in my daily life, so I am going to cook with it. My mom sometimes wishes I was more sentimental... oops.

    Sweet Korean Lentils. All the flavours of Korean BBQ made vegan and gluten free! Sweet and mildly spiced, just 15 minutes to make! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Now add your lentils and sauciness to the pan.

    Sweet Korean Lentils. All the flavours of Korean BBQ made vegan and gluten free! Sweet and mildly spiced, just 15 minutes to make! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Cover and simmer for around 10 minutes until the lentils are cooked and tender, and most of the sauce is absorbed.

    Serve over rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. I also used this as a lettuce wrap filling and my oh my it was scrumptious.

    A big final thank you to Canadian Lentils and Chef Michael Smith for having me. ❤️

    Bon Appetegan my friends.

    Sweet Korean Lentils. All the flavours of Korean BBQ made vegan and gluten free! Sweet and mildly spiced, just 15 minutes to make! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Print Recipe
    4.95 from 167 votes

    Sweet Korean Lentils

    All the flavours of Korean BBQ made vegan and gluten free! Sweet and mildly spiced, just 15 minutes to make!
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time15 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Korean
    ingredient tag: lentils
    Servings: 4 Servings
    Calories: 253kcal
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    For the sauce:

    • 2 cups water
    • ¼ cup soy sauce (or gluten free tamari)
    • 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 inch piece of ginger, minced
    • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
    • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

    For the Lentils:

    • 1 tablespoon light oil (such as canola, vegetable, or peanut oil)
    • ½ yellow onion, chopped
    • 1 cup red lentils
    • 2 green onions, chopped
    • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
    • Cooked rice for serving
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a medium bow, mix together all the sauce ingredients.
    • Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until the onion softens and begins to brown. Now add the lentils and the sauce. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer until the lentils are cooked and tender, and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 8 to 10 minutes.
    • Serve by spooning over rice, and garnishing with the green onions and sesame seeds.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/4 of recipe | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 826mg | Potassium: 506mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 4.6mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 4.1mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam.

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0147530350/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=itdottalich-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0147530350&linkId=ed8972407b84b428a262b3809b4a7249

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dina K says

      November 30, 2022 at 8:33 am

      5 stars
      Oh I finally got around to making this (from your second cookbook) and I love it! Sweet but not too sweet, salty but not too salty, very comfort food-ish. Thank you, Sam!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        December 03, 2022 at 1:33 pm

        So happy you loved it! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Jean says

      November 01, 2022 at 4:57 pm

      5 stars
      I've tried this recipe many times and I love it:). I've run out of red lentils. Can I use green lentils?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 17, 2022 at 4:43 pm

        Yes but green lentils take much longer to cook, upwards of 20 minutes. So keep an eye on them and add more broth or water if needed. Enjoy!

        Reply
    3. Malorie says

      October 20, 2022 at 6:02 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Sam,

      I love this recipe and have made it a few times, but I’ve been having a hard time getting the right consistency and ratios.

      If I want to use canned lentils instead of dried, how much water / liquid do you recommend for the sauce?

      Thank you!!

      Reply
    4. Tinwee says

      August 31, 2022 at 12:40 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve made this recipe at least six times this summer. It’s so delicious and forgiving.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        September 02, 2022 at 3:53 pm

        Amazing!!!

        Reply
    5. HibiscusMom says

      August 31, 2022 at 12:08 pm

      Love this dish! I used no oil (veggie broth instead) and date syrup instead of brown sugar. Still delicious!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        September 02, 2022 at 3:53 pm

        So happy you enjoyed it!!

        Reply
    6. Ross says

      August 08, 2022 at 4:33 am

      Way too sweet, but at least it's easy to make.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        August 17, 2022 at 2:43 pm

        You can adjust the sugar to taste, but note that it is called Sweet Korean Lentils 😉

        Reply
    7. Blair says

      June 22, 2022 at 6:31 pm

      5 stars
      These are a family favorite! We make them regularly and it's a hit every time! We have a pretty extreme soy and gluten allergy in the family so we sub the soy sauce for coconut aminos and it's amazing! I tried to switch up the recipe to make it in the instant pot without much success - let me know if you/anyone has found a way to do it! Otherwise we will keep chugging along with the recipe as written because it's so good we always have to make a double batch for our family of 4!!

      Reply
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    Sam Turnbull

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    I'm Sam. Bestselling cookbook author and full-time vegan recipe creator! I LOVE vegan food, but it didn't start that way. As someone who comes from a family of hunters, butchers, and chefs I'm the last person I thought would go vegan. Here's My Story →

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