Last Updated on November 8, 2024 by Megan Jones

A filling salad, lightly spiced with sumac and mace with ‘pops’ of freshness from pomegranate seeds, mint, lemon and parsley. Enjoy this salad as a side, appetizer or for a tasty lunch.

Keep reading to find out how to make this Puy Lentil, Pomegranate, Sumac and Kamut grain salad, and useful tips and substitutions.

this recipe

What Exactly is Kamut grain?

Pronounced Kah-moot, is an ancient grain, related to wheat, also known as Khorasan Wheat.

KAMUT^® is the brand name by which the Khorasan wheat grain and flour is sold, it means ‘Wheat’ in ancient Egyptian.

Kamut grains or ‘berries’ as they are also known, look very similar to brown rice but a bit more ‘fuller’ and plump. After they are cooked, they plump up even further, and have a smooth texture and a taste that is both nutty and buttery.

Kamut can be used to substitute things like quinoa, brown rice, farro, pearl barley in recipes. Because of it’s soft, chewy and slightly nutty texture, it pairs well with things like nuts, spring greens, kale, cabbage etc.

This recipe for Puy lentil, pomegranate and kamut grain salad has a combination of crunchy, chewy, sweet, and salty ingredients for the perfect balance of flavour.

Ingredients you’ll need: 

Puy Lentil, Pomegranate, Sumac and Kamut grain salad

• Kamut grain: cook this in vegetable stock with fresh herbs like bay, to infuse it with extra flavour
• Puy lentils: for that earthiness
• Pomegranate seeds: the star ingredient!
• Red onion: for sharpness and a pop of colour in the salad
• Almonds : for something nutty and crunchy 
• Pumpkin seeds: Lightly toasted for added flavour
• Dried cranberries: to balance the sweetness
• Dried apricots: for something sweet and chewy
• Parsley, Mint and Lemon Zest: for a fresh element to the salad
• Sumac: for a layer of lemony fruitiness
• Mace: sweet, warm and slightly spiced. – Very much like nutmeg but more ‘savoury’ tasting.

How to make this Puy Lentil, Pomegranate, Sumac and Kamut grain salad

This salad is super easy to make! First, you need to cook the kamut, and the lentils (separately), drain rinse and cool.

Then chop/slice/cut up all the other ingredients and add everything to a large mixing bowl, toss with the lemon juice and serve alongside a dollop of dairy free yogurt.

Recipe substitutions

This recipe is versatile and can have a variety of substitutions if needed: 

• Kamut: sub for, quinoa, farro, pearl barley, brown or red rice
• Dried cranberries: sub for, dried cherries, golden raisins or even goji berries
• Lemon zest: sub for either orange or lime zest
• Mace: sub for ground nutmeg

Tips for making the best out of this puy lentil and kamut salad

• Cook the Kamut in broth rather than water. This infuses the farro with flavour and will create a more flavourful and tasty salad. For extra added layers of flavour add fresh herbs like bay leaves, rosemary and even a few cloves of garlic in to the cooking water/broth.
• Coat the salad in the lemon juice. To keep the salad and herbs fresh.
• For best results; make the salad and let the flavours infuse for a few hours, or overnight.
• Serve this salad alongside some fresh flatbreads a dip and home made dukkah.

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Lentil Pomegranate Kamut grain salad

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PREP TIME: 20 MINS

COOK TIME: 40 mins (Kamut) 20 minutes (lentils)

SERVES: 6

PRODUCE:

• 1/3 cup or 53g Dried Cranberries
• 1/3 cup or 53g Dried apricots
• 1/4 cup or 31g Fresh Mint
• 1/3 cup or 42g Fresh Parsley
• 1 Pomegranate. De seeded
• 3/4 cup or 115g Puy lentils, cooked
• 1 Small Red onion, finely diced

PASTA/GRAINS:

• 3/4 cup or 150g Kamut grain, cooked

BAKING / SPICES:

• 1 Pepper
• 1 Salt
• 2 tsp Sumac
• 1 tsp ground Mace

NUTS / SEEDS:

• 1/2 cup or 60g Almonds, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup or 30g Pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted and roughly chopped

FRUIT:

• 1 Lemon – zested and juiced

GRAINS COOKING METHOD

KAMUT:

• Bring 2 liters of water to a boil in a pot with salt. Add Kamut®, return to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-high and boil uncovered until soft, about 40–60 minutes. Drain off cooking water, then serve.

LENTILS:

• Bring the pot to a boil.
• Then reduce to a very low simmer, cover and set your timer for 18 minutes. The cook time will vary slightly based on the variety:

SALAD METHOD:

1. Lightly toast the nuts and seeds, once cooled roughly chop up.
2. Finely slice the fresh herbs
3. Zest and juice the lemon
4. Finely dice the onion.
5. Combine all ingredients in a large serving bowl and mix together.
6. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste

Watch the recipe Reel here