sweet and sour lentils

In our galley we have a few recipes that we consider staples, that we're always in the mood to eat. We 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 our favorites.

You can eat the lentils as is, or scoop it up with crackers. We 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 our go-to recipe during pot lucks—even people who don't like lentils will enjoy it (we've never had any complaints).

Substitutions

It's a versatile recipe, so if we don't have any carrots or daikon we'll sometimes put brocoli or fresh green peas instead. For a heartier meal, adding sweet potatoes is also delicious. Sometimes, if we're out of peanut butter, we'll use sesame paste instead, the flavor 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.

Sprouted lentils

If you use sprouted lentils, the cooking time is reduced by more than half. It can help you save on both time, and fuel, while making the lentils more digestible. For sprouting techniques, refer to lentils in the sprouting guide.

The directions for the recipes will differ a bit. For this version of the recipe, cut the vegetables real small (tiny cubes) so they cook fast, then brown them in a pan with oil. When the veggies are done, add the sprouted lentils, and cook the mixture for 2-3 min. Finally, add the sauce, mixing well and cooking the mixture for another minute or so to allow the sauce to thicken. Top with some chives.