Chef notes
Most people don't think of lentils as being "indulgent," but cooking them this way — with sautéed onions and in a modest amount of vegetable broth instead of simply in a large pot of water, plus creamifying them with a tahini sauce — truly makes them taste like comfort food. And the crispy pan-fried garlic on top adds the perfect contrasting crunch. Every time I eat this recipe, I'm shocked that I'm essentially eating lentils, sesame seed paste and garlic — three highly nourishing foods!
Technique tips: Try to seek out an aged balsamic vinegar, which will add a more complex sweet-savoriness to the final dish than a standard balsamic vinegar, which is mostly just sour.
When whisking the tahini sauce, it might stiffen at first, but keep whisking and adding water, and it'll gradually turn into a whipped creamy sauce consistency.
If you have a mandoline, use it to thinly slice the garlic, as even slices will fry evenly. Fat garlic cloves are easier to thinly slice. Add the garlic and oil to a cold skillet instead of a preheated skillet. This prevents the garlic from burning quickly and cooking unevenly.
Swap options: This recipe also works great with black beluga lentils. If you can only find green or brown lentils, those also work, but they will have a softer, slightly mushy texture.
If you don't have whole cumin and coriander seeds, you can simply omit them. If desired, stir an extra 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin plus 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander into the Lemon Tahini Sauce.
