sweet and sour lentils

2 servings — 30 minutes

In my galley I have a few recipes that I consider staples, that I'm always in the mood to eat. I usually rotate these throughout the week, adding maybe a new recipe or two to change things up. This sweet and sour lentils recipe is one of these, a favourite of ours.

You can eat the lentils as is, or scoop it up with crackers. Devine & I enjoy eating it wrapped in salad or cabbage leaves.

We've cooked sweet and sour lentils often on long passages, it's a simple one-pot meal. It's also my go-to recipe during pot lucks - even people who don't like lentils will enjoy it (I've never had any complaints, not yet).

Substitutions

It's a versatile recipe, so if I don't have any carrots or daikon I'll sometimes put brocoli or fresh green peas instead. For a heartier meal, adding sweet potatoes is also delicious. Sometimes, if I'm out of peanut butter I'll use tahini instead, the flavour is very similar and doesn't change much in the recipe (also nice for those with peanut allergies). This recipe only works with whole lentils, because there's still a bite to them, halved lentils will soften too much and the resulting texture won't be as pleasant.

Enjoy this humble, but delicious recipe.

sauce

soy sauce 30 ml

japanese rice vinegar 30 ml

chili pepper flakes 10 g

peanut butter 15 g

maple syrup 30 ml

sesame oil 5 ml

garlic 3 cloves, minced

ginger root 15 g

arrowroot starch 15 g

• Mix all liquid ingredients together in a bowl, add 15 g (1 tbsp) of peanut butter and stir until dissolved.
• Stir in 15 g (1 tbsp) of arrowroot starch (to help thicken sauce).
• Add 10 g (2 tsp) of chili pepper flakes, 3 minced garlic cloves and roughly the garlic equivalent of minced ginger root.

lentils

brown lentils 100g

vegetable bouillon 350 ml

carrots 1, cubed

daikon 4 cm, cubed

chives 3 stalks

• Rinse 100 g (1/2 cup) of brown lentils. Transfer rinsed lentils to a pot and add 350 ml of vegetable bouillon.
• Bring water to a rapid simmer, then reduce heat to medium.
• Simmer uncovered. After 10 minutes add 1 chopped carrot. Cut ~4 cm of daikon, chopped into small pieces and add to the pot.
• Let mixture simmer for an additional 10-20 minutes, add extra water as needed.
• If lentils are tender, they are ready. Strain lentils and return them to the pot. Pour sauce onto lentils, mix well. Serve into two bowls with some chives. Eat wrapped in salad or cabbage leaves, or with crackers.