Chinese Lentils

For Christmas, my sister bought me lots of foodie items. One of these was sheets of dried Kombu, and there was a suggested recipe on the back, Lentil Pate. Now, when I made this it didn't really turn out like pate, more like the consistency of Lentil Curry. I don't know if I added too much water, although it was as much as the recipe said, or whether something else was wrong but anyway this is what came out, and it actually tasted really nice. I love Lentil Curry but it was nice to have a change of flavours.

The Kombu added a really nice flavour to the lentils, and I added some spinach to increase the veggie content of the meal which was a nice added texture. I served this with egg fried rice and some tamarind sauce which added a bit of spiciness when eaten with the lentils. On reflection this was a huge amount of food, but delicious.

Lentil Pate/Stew

(Serves 2-3)

175g brown lentils, washed (I used a tin of green lentils!)

1 strip of kombu

2 bay leaves

800ml water

1 onion, diced small

2 carrots, diced small

miso

mustard

tahini

Finely chop spring onions or chives.

Bring lentils, kombu, bay leaves and water to a boil, add vegetables and cover and cook on a medium flame for 45mins.

Check that the lentils are well cooked and soft.

Dilute 1 1/2 tsp miso with a small amount of water and add to the lentils, along with the mustard and tahini to taste.

Cook over a low heat for 5 mins more and then discard the bay leaves and blend to a smooth consistency.

Serve with finely chopped spring onions or chives.