Golden Lentils and Rice Recipe

We have recently started making this recipe from Beverly LeBlanc's The Student Vegetarian Cookbook and it's fabulous because 1) it's easy, making it great for midweek dinners; and 2) apart from an onion, the ingredients are all things that are always in our pantry. The only downside is soaking the rice for half an hour, though this is only a problem because I always forget about that part so dinner always ends up half an hour later than intended! If you can remember about soaking the rice, you'll be fine.

Serves 2

125 g long grain rice
1 onion, diced
2 tbsp sunflower or canola oil
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
125g red lentils
450ml vegetable stock

1. Put the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Tip the rice into a bowl, cover with fresh cold water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain.

2. Over medium-high heat, heat the oil, then add the onion and stir for 3-5 minutes until soft.

3. Stir in the curry powder, turmeric, and salt. Add the rice and lentils and continue stirring until the rice looks translucent.

4. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Stir once, reduce heat to low, cover, and leave to cook - without lifting the lid - for 15 minutes. The surface should be covered with small indentations.

5. Re-cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Fluff using a fork and then serve.

Happy eating! :)