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Spicy Kung Pao Lentils with a delicious kung pao sauce, veggies and cooked lentils. Easy 30 minute weeknight dinner. Gluten-free Vegan Recipe. Note: If you find lentils too earthy, double the sauce, or use other legumes like chickpeas.
You knew this was coming right. a spicy kung pao sauce and vegetables and lentils!
The whole meal including the brown rice came together in like 40 minutes. The Lentils were put in their saucepan, brown rice in a pressure cooker. then I chopped up veggies, made the sauce, listened to some songs. Then when the lentils were almost done, I heated up the skillet for cooking the vegetables. While the vegetables got cooked, the lentils were ready and the brown rice was off heat and waiting on natural pressure release. Lentils and sauce cooked up for a few minutes then on the table.
Spice from the whole chilies, crunchy red pepper, celery and cashews/peanuts, earthy lentils and brown rice. perfect.
Use pre-cooked lentils, or other cooked beans like green mung beans, use Chickpeas! or seitan or Tofu. Add them at the step to add lentils. Use other vegetables like broccoli, snowpeas, eggplant etc. Double the sauce, add more chilies for more heat! This recipe is inspired my other popular Sweet and sour Lentils with mango.
This recipe is
Easy
spicy, sweet and sour
has least processed ingredients
is perfect for weekday meals.
More lentil recipes and asian recipes from the blog.
Sweet and sour lentils lettuce wraps
Massaman curry Vegetables
Spicy Orange Tofu and Peppers
Crispy Orange Cauliflower
Teriyaki Tempeh and shiitake mushrooms
Pad Thai
Kung Pao Lentils
Ingredients
For the Lentils:
- 1/2 cup dry brown lentils, washed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups water
- a generous pinch of salt
For the Sauce:
- 2-3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp dry sherry or rice wine
- 1 tsp hoisin sauce, or use more soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2-3 tsp raw sugar, or use 1 to 2 Tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener
- a generous dash of lime zest, 1/4 tsp
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 3 Tbsp water
For the vegetables:
- 2 tsp grapeseed oil or other neutral oil
- 1/2 cup chopped white or red onion
- 4 dried red chilies like arbol or red chinese, broken into halfs (or use red pepper flakes to taste)
- 3 Tbsp cashews or peanuts
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch knob of ginger, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped celery
- lemon juice and black pepper, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the Lentils: Combine the lentils, water, and salt in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the lentils are tender to preference. Let the lentils sit for 5 minutes before using. Drain excess water if needed and keep aside. Or use 1 1/4 cup cooked lentils or beans.
- Make the Sauce: Combine all the sauce ingredients into a bowl. Mix well to combine and keep aside.
- Cook the Veggies: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add onion and chilies and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cashews or peanuts and mix for a few seconds. Add garlic and ginger and mix in. Add the peppers and celery and mix well. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add in the sauce and cooked lentils and mix well. Add a few more tbsp water, if you like extra sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the sauce thickens and some is absorbed by the lentils. Taste and adjust spice and sweet. Add red pepper flakes to taste, if needed, and mix in. Garnish with a dash of lemon juice and black pepper. Serve with cooked rice or grains of choice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So yummy! I made the recipe as listed and would definitely double the sauce next time. It was surprisingly tasty, even my meat-eater husband liked it!
yay! thank you!
My first time making this recipe and I am in love (so is my husband). I always liked lentils and this is one of the best ways to eat them! Thank you for sharing all the delicious recipes!
awesome! thanks so much for your kind comment!
I made this for lunch today since I had a bunch of lentils batch-cooked. As all your recipes it was delicious! Thank you.
yay! thank you!
Super great–I get so tired of my typical savory beans recipes…and I eat A Lot of Beans! This is a lovely change with the hoisin sauce, very versatile on the vegetables added, and to my delight, the lentils are mega delicious in this Chinese sauce and ginger, etc.
Thank you for adding a very healthy and exotic touch to my lentil world.
of course! thank you for making it.
I haven’t tried this yet but this is very helpful in my quest to make food interesting for my family. Well, let’s face it. For me too. 🙂 This looks delicious. I plan to make this for tomorrow’s lunch. Thank you for posting.
can’t wait to hear what you think!
Wow. So glad we gave this a go. Wouldn’t have thought to use lentils this way but it was so tasty and felt really healthy at the same time. Yummy!
Thank you!
I love this recipe! Even my confirmed carnivores ask for it regularly. I share this recipe with people who are just trying vegan cuisine and always get the same reaction – they love it, even the ones who claim to not like lentils! Thanks so much for your amazing recipes!
Great to hear! Thank you Kathy.
Would jalapeño peppers work?
Yes but don’t use too much
Just had this tonight, and we have had it before. A tasty, balanced dish, and the leftovers will be just as good. Thanks for all you do to produce excellent recipes.
thanks for popping in
LOVE this recipe. I am obsessed with lentils but usually cook them with more Indian or French flavors (or even Italian for bolognese). This fresh take is the bomb and super easy. The step by step instructions were very simple to follow. Thank you for this!
perfect ❤️❤️