Author: 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 to go film a cooking show in P.E.I. with Food Network Star Chef Michael Smith. Oh boy, was that an experience!
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.
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! 😁
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
To make Sweet Korean Lentils: mix all the sauciness together. Um, hello delicious looking sauce!
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.
Now add your lentils and sauciness to the pan.
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.
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Sweet Korean Lentils
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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
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
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Becca says
How much is a serving?
Sam Turnbull says
1/4 of the recipe. About 1/2 cup.
Wendy says
My new favourite comfort food! So sweet, spicy, filling and easy to make. All your recipes are fab Sam, thank you x
Sam Turnbull says
Aww so thrilled you think so, Wendy 🙂
Ann Matthews says
You are so fun to watch! I have your cookbook, love it! And I can't wait to try this recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thank you so much, Ann!! So thrilled you are loving my work 🙂
Madeline says
I just have to say that I've made this twice, and it's such a keeper. I've reduced the sugar slightly, but that's just me. Other spice levels are all great; this time I added a splash of rice vinegar just for a little zing.
We had this for dinner with short-grained rice, wakame salad and homemade kimchi -- AMAZING!
Thank you for all these stupendous and life-changing recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Madeline! So thrilled you loved it so much 🙂
Penny says
I made this tonight--I had all of the ingredients on hand, and it was easy to make and really tasty--my husband loved it too and asked me to make more--thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful!! Thrilled you both enjoyed it so much, Penny 🙂
Alicia says
Did you use whole or split red lentils? I can't find whole red lentils.
Sam Turnbull says
Split.
Lisa says
Made this today. Delicious. Although the 8-10 minute cook time?? It took a full 30 minutes for it to cook through and for the lentils to soften. Typo or did you use an Insta or some kind of quick cooking lentils?
Sam Turnbull says
Red lentils take about 10 minutes to cook. Did you perhaps use a different type of lentil? Green or brown lentils take 20 minutes or longer.
Laura says
These were really tasty- made them to serve with some bibimbap and they added great flavor and extra protein to the dish in place of meat and egg (although I sent a pic to my brother who just moved to Korea and he said it was NOT bibimbap. Whatever lol.). My 5 year old and "vegan at home" husband liked them too.
I have to admit I was skeptical at first- I always am when trying a new persons recipe, but now I'll definitely have more confidence to try other recipes from you! My lentils were mushy but afterwards I read your advice in the comments about making sure the temp is low, so I'll try that next time. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww so happy you loved them, Laura and I hope you enjoy many more of my recipes. 🙂
Mac says
Quick question, what type of brown sugar are you using for this
Sam Turnbull says
Any kind will do.
Lynn says
I love this. I made it for the second time tonight. Just one question... Why is mine light brown, almost beige, when. Yours is so dark? I followed the recipe exactly.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it! The darkness comes from the soy sauce, so I probably just used a much darker soy sauce than you did. As long as it tastes great tho, that's all that matters!
Lucie says
Its the second recipe I made from your website the first one being the vegan cream of mushroom soup. I have already made twice the mushroom soup and I will do the sweet Korean lentils again. The only change I made to this recipe is to replace the red pepper flakes with sriracha. These two recipes are amazing and you had me convince to buy your book. I love the sweet Korean lentils recipe because I'm new at being vegan and I don't have a lot good recipes for lentils. I struggle a little bit to try to eat more lentils instead of tofu and chickpeas and this recipe will help me to eat more diversify.
Thank you for the recipe
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful, Lucie! Thrilled you are enjoying my recipes so much, and I hope you love the cookbook!
Erin O says
Insanely good! So easy. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it, Erin 🙂
Anne says
This is finishing up on the stove now. I had a taste, but my lentils are still a bit firm. I think I’ve found a new favorite!
Sam Turnbull says
Cook a little longer to ensure your lentils are softened.
Julia says
Hi !
Your recipe looks yummy, I will definitely give it a try. ... with a substitution (soy sauce is not gluten free ... unless you buy the ones that are specifically marked as GF).
Congrats on your recipe making appearance on the show- it looks great !
Julia
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks, Julia. Enjoy!
Karen says
This recipe is absolutely amazing!!!! I made it on the weekend and have been eating the leftovers all week long. I used green lentils though instead of red lentils because I thought that red lentils would make the dish too mushy. As such, the amount of water you called for in the recipe wasn't enough, as my lentils were on the crunchy side. How much water would you recommend if using green lentils? And, do the red lentils in your recipe get mushy?
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe! The red lentils do not get mushy as long as you very gently simmer them (and don't boil them). The water content for green lentils should be about the same amount but they will take about twice as long to cook at a gentle simmer. Enjoy!
Joey says
Hi Sam! I love this recipe. Do you think TVP would be good instead of the lentils for a bit of a change?
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks Joey! You might have to adapt the water quantities a bit, but I am sure it would be yummy. Enjoy!
Karen says
I’ve been looking at this recipe for over a year now! I finally made it tonight as I was looking for something flavourful, easy to make and everything was already in my pantry and fridge. I must say these lentils pack a huge punch of flavour. My mouth is very happy right now. Just the right amount of heat and yummy flavour. Now that I know how good this is it will become a favourite in my household. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful, Karen! So thrilled you got around to trying them and enjoyed them so much 🙂
Kim Siever says
It’s pretty tasty. The family liked it. I used canned lentils though and omitted the water. You have to cook off some of the moisture from the soya sauce though.
Sam Turnbull says
Oh yes, canned lentils would not be great for this recipe. By cooking the lentils in the sauce they absorb all of the flavours.
Kim Siever says
Cooked lentils worked just fine. 🙂
Kim Siever says
And by cooked lentils, I, of course, meant canned lentils.
Sam Turnbull says
Great! Happy you enjoyed.
Amber says
Another great recipe, Sam!
Perfect weekday meal, comes together quickly and uses ingredients I always have around the house. This is the type of meal you need to show people when they say eating vegan is expensive, this is a great cheap meal. Paired it with some Ontario asparagus. Delish!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!! So happy you enjoyed it so much, Amber 😀
Jill says
Winner-winner-non-chicken dinner! I just made for this for dinner. Amazing flavor! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! So awesome! Thrilled you enjoyed it, Jill 🙂
Karla says
Dude, SO GOOD! I have often made the ground beef counterpart to this recipe, which we all love, and I think I actually prefer this one.
I have been trying to eat meat-free for a while now for personal reasons, though the rest of my family (husband and four kiddos) still eats meat. Sometimes I make something a bit different for me, but of course I'd rather just make one meal for all of us.
I have enjoyed using lentils for a lot of things and wanted to find another recipe specifically for red lentils. This was the first one I picked; we had it last night and it was a huge hit. Will definitely be making it again! Served it on top of rice with broccoli.
Sam Turnbull says
Oh that's so awesome, Karla!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so very much. Thanks for the lovely comment 🙂
Lora says
Made this for dinner tonight. I doubled the recipe and used green lentils because that’s what I had. Delicious. A bit more heat than I wanted, but was offset a bit by the sweet. Trying to incorporate more vegan meals to show my husband that we don’t have to sacrifice flavor. Thanks for a great recipe!
Beryl says
Simply delicious. Deliciously simple! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Beryl 🙂