Use a kettle to boil 1.5L of water. Add the brown lentils in a heat proof bowl with enough of the boiling water to cover them completely and let them cook for 15min. This way it will get rid of the “dirty/soil” flavour they have also. Meanwhile, you may start washing the vegetables needed and preparing the dressing.
Remove any foam that may form using a slotted spoon. Once they are cooked pour out the liquid using a colander, but avoid rinsing the lentils with water so that the flavour doesn’t wash away. Let it cool down in the colander before adding it to the salad.
To fry the halloumi, use a non-stick frying pan and dry fry it on a high heat. By not adding any oil I find that there is a better more even colouration on the halloumi slices. It only takes 2min on either side, watch over it so it doesn't burn.
I haven’t tried this recipe with canned lentils but I can’t see why not. The flavour will be different and to boost it you might want to bring them to a boil using the ingredients. However they won’t need too long to boil as they are already cooked.
Be mindful of the amount of salt you add in the dressing because the halloumi could also be quite salty. It might be best to season in the end after you’ve tasted the whole salad.