Mshosh is a very simple and filling vegan lentil salad from Armenia. Made with a few easily available ingredients like brown lentils, dried apricot, plums, and walnuts, it's very easy to make and tastes delicious.
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My interest in Armenian food developed after reading a book-The bastard of Istanbul, a few years ago. The book is not a cookery book but touches Armenian cuisine in a very interesting way.
The first Armenian dish which I tried after finishing the book was Vegetarian Armenian Eggplant salad. The salad was so delicious that I wanted to try more Armenian recipes. Though the eggplant salad tastes amazing I prefer having it as an appetizer instead of salad because of fried eggplants used in the recipe. So, this time I wanted to try something lighter and healthier and made a vegan lentil salad called Mshosh.
What type of lentils are used in this salad?
Use brown lentils (sabut masoor ki dal) to make Mshosh. I would recommend using dried brown lentils and cooking them at home. they don't even need long hours of soaking. However, if you don't want to cook the lentils at home or couldn't find the dried lentils in your area, use the canned one. Just make sure to rinse the canned lentils nicely to get rid of the peculiar smell which most canned food items have. Salads taste best with fresh ingredients.
Another option is green lentils. They take slightly more time to get cooked but retain their shape in a better way after getting cooked so are a better choice for salads.
Brown lentils are one of my favorite lentils and if you have not checked my sabut masoor ki dal recipe (brown lentils made in Indian style) then don't miss to check it here.
Recipe tips and tricks
- Try using home-cooked dried lentils in the salad to maintain its freshness.
- You will get brown lentils in different sizes, use the largest one you can find.
- Don't overcook the lentils otherwise, they will turn mushy.
- If you have apricot juice add some while cooking the lentils.
- Fill the leftover salad in your pita bread sandwiches or any other sandwich to make it more flavorful and nutritious.
More vegan lentil recipes
I love lentils and eat them at least once every day. If you also like lentils and looking for ideas to include them in your meals then you may want to check the following recipes:
- Sabut moong ki dal
- Chana dal
- Red lentil soup
- Koshari
- Mediterranean lentil salad
- Dal paalak
- Winter lentil salad
More easy vegan and vegetarian salad ideas
And, if you like eating healthy and looking for easy salad recipes then don't miss to check the following links:
- French carrot salad
- Mediterranean white bean salad
- Beet salad with Feta
- Fattoush
- Tabbouleh
- Egyptian farro salad
- Greek Watermelon Salad
Step by step photo instructions
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Recipe
Armenian Vegan Lentil Salad-Mshosh
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried brown lentil
- 1 medium-sized onion finely chopped
- ½ cup walnuts roughly chopped
- ½ cup dried plums roughly chopped to big chunks
- ½ cup dried apricots roughly chopped to big chunks
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Ground black pepper as per taste
- Salt as per taste
Instructions
- Wash and soak the lentil in hot water for around 2 hours.
- Put the lentil in a pot with around 2 cups of water, salt and allow to cook for around 10-15 minutes or till the lentil is nicely cooked. Don't over-cook otherwise it will turn mushy and spoil the salad. If some water is left in the lentil, strain it. Keep the cooked lentil aside.
- Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions. Cook till onions start turning brown.
- Next add the chopped walnuts, apricots and plums. Mix well and cook for 4-5 minutes or till the apricots start caramelizing.
- Add the cooked lentil and mix well. Cover the pan and let the lentils cook for around 2 minutes with the plums and apricots. Switch off the gas. Don't remove the lid for next 5 minutes.
- Finally, garnish with chopped parsley and serve. It can be enjoyed hot, warm or cold.
Notes
- Try using home-cooked dried lentil in the salad to maintain its freshness.
- You will get brown lentil in different sizes, use the largest one you can find.
- Don't overcook the lentil otherwise, it will make the salad mushy.
- If you have apricot juice add some while cooking the lentil.
- Fill the leftover salad in your pita bread sandwiches or any other sandwich to make it more flavorful and nutritious.
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