Maple-Sriracha Lentils

maple-siracha-lentils

Hi, again. I’m back after a short posting hiatus. I figured I needed to post something if only so that my parents don’t think I died. I’ve done plenty of writing over the past few days, but not about food; it’s mostly been commentaries on ancient elegiac and epic poetry, and I figured no one wants to read that(I don’t even really want to read that). And cooking? Oh, cooking. Well, there’s plenty of time for that now.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I really don’t like sriracha sauce—at least not on its own. It’s far too spicy for me; even just thinking about pouring large amounts of it over food makes jump back. I do, however, love the flavor it adds to sauces with a little sweetness to balance the heat. I’ve made this sauce with maple syrup and soy sauce a few times lately and poured it over everything: Lentils, quinoa, eggs—there’s no bad combination.

maple-siracha-lentils-vertical

If you’re a sriracha fan, I’m sure you’ll love this. Even if you’re not a sriracha fan, give it a shot and you might just be surprised how much you like it.

Maple-Sriracha Lentils

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

  • 1 cup dry lentils
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons sriracha sauce

maple-siracha-lentils-fork

Method:

  1. Cook the lentils for 30-40 minutes in the boiling water until they’ve become tender and soaked up all the liquid.
  2. Turn off the heat and add in the soy sauce, maple syrup, and sriracha and mix, letting the lentils sit over the burner for a couple minutes to absorb the sauce.
  3. Serve hot or cold as leftovers.

maple-siracha-lentils-bowl

The sriracha adds a great complexity to a sauce that’s only 3 ingredients. For a little more depth of flavor you can add a Tablespoon of toasted sesame oil at the end of cooking.

And now I have 6 weeks with not much to do and a full kitchen at my exposal so expect to hear a lot more from me.

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7 Responses to Maple-Sriracha Lentils
  1. Lisa
    December 16, 2011 | 12:34 pm

    Perfect timing! I made a lentil dish the other night and have leftovers. Perfect!

  2. Amber K
    December 16, 2011 | 2:20 pm

    I’ve never tried sriracha or lentils for that matter. But this is certainly intriguing. My tongue is a major wimp, so I’ll have to play around with the sweetness.

  3. Ela
    December 16, 2011 | 9:48 pm

    I love “exposal” –and you know I’d have lapped up anything you wished to say about epic or elegiac poetry…

    I love spicy hot, but I agree that sriracha tends to have a slightly harsh flavor. I can imagine that maple syrup would tone it down in just the right way.

  4. Hannah
    December 16, 2011 | 11:07 pm

    You know what I would love to read? The poetry you’re writing about. Or any poetry you’re writing….? 🙂

    I haven’t ever found sriracha in Australia, but I am a chilli fiend so I know I’d be into this 🙂

  5. Emily @ Relishments
    December 17, 2011 | 9:01 am

    One of these days I’ll finally get around to trying sriracha. Thanks for the encouragement to do so!

  6. Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers
    December 17, 2011 | 9:58 am

    I just love Rooster Sauce!! This combo looks nice but I have never had lentils, I’ll have to give them a try!

  7. Kait
    December 29, 2011 | 10:31 pm

    Just the right amount of burn…YUM!