Green Lentils with Lemon and Carrot

Vegetarians do not have an easy time in Turkey. Turks love their meat, and you have to work a little harder to find non-meat meals that are really good. But they can be found. The first time I made this, I admit I was sceptical. Dried mint - with lentils?!? But nevertheless, I held my breath and made it the old-fashioned Ottoman way. It was incredible. As a committed meat eater, my first thought was still: 'Wow. I would definitely eat this again.' It didn’t taste minty as I had feared. Instead the mint lent this wonderful depth to the flavour that would otherwise be absent. Try it and see what you think.

Lentils with Carrot and Lemon

Yeşil Mercimek Pilaki

1 cup green lentils (yeşil mercımek), rinsed and picked over

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, crushed

½ teaspoon dried mint (nane)

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoon tomato paste (domades salça)

1 teaspoon salt

a good cranking of pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil, extra

1 teaspoon lemon juice

a few sprigs of parsley, to serve

Boil the lentils. Lower the heat, and simmer for 10min. Drain.

Heat the oil in a large pan, stir in the onion, garlic and mint until the onion begins to take colour.

Add the carrots, stir fry for 2 minutes

Add the lentils, and pour in just enough boiling water to cover everything. Stir in the tomato paste, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15min. At the end, most of the water should have been absorbed.

Stir through the salt, pepper, and dress with the extra olive oil and lemon.

Serve with extra lemon wedges and garnish with generous amounts of parsley.

If eating as a main meal, this dish goes nicely with a rice pilav on the side

Serves 4 as a main, serves 6 as a side