BROWN LENTIL, SHIITAKE AND HIJIKI SOUP
It’s officially winter and this is when I really get into the myriad of lentils and beans available. Lentils and beans (with mung bean, aduki bean and red lentils being the exception to the rule) are heavy to digest and so, on a regular basis, best suited to those with very good digestion and better for most of us in winter (especially at lunchtime) when our Agni AKA digestive fire is at its strongest. I’m tucking into brown lentils here — cheap and tasty, they are a staple for my hotpot. In this particular recipe, ginger, black peppercorns and hing (asafoetida) help with digestion, as does the long cooking and the soaking beforehand.
To elevate a simple soup of lentils I was inspired with something new I’d learnt from my mushroom foraging tour — mushrooms and seaweed both add the umami factor to dishes, but using them together in a dish takes it up a level… or five. Neither a plant nor an animal, mushrooms are in a class of their own and one of the meatiest non-beasts out there, which makes them very popular in vegan and vegetarian cooking. Teaming brown lentils, with shiitake plus hijiki, an earthy-tasting seaweed quite different from the salty-sea green seaweeds you might be used to, means omnivores would be hard pressed to find this dish lacking in depth of flavour.
I really like a little sweetness from the sweet potato and maple syrup to bring out the earthy comfort of this dish — a little chilli jam instead of the maple syrup is also delicious! Serve this wonderful stew-soup over piping hot basmati rice or some simple sweet potato mash with a couple of drops of tamari and don’t forget a dollop of ghee or your choice of fat to help absorb all the fat-soluble vitamins, since none is added to this easy-simmer soup.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 3-4 with rice
1 cup brown lentils, soaked overnight or for at least a few hours
30g dried shiitake
1 large shallot, sliced into halves, or a small white onion, sliced into quarters
25g ginger, sliced
3 bay leaves
½ tsp peppercorns*
4½ cups water
10g hijiki (soak the hijiki in triple the amount of water for at least 30 minutes)
1-2 tbsp bouillon powder
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp ghee or ½ tsp pure sesame oil
To serve, tamari or liquid aminos to taste
Optional: add a sweet sweet potato chopped into chunks when you cook the lentils if you’re not serving over sweet potato mash
A big pinch of asafoetida or hing added at the same time as the seaweed
METHOD
Soak the lentils overnight or for at least a few hours — check this post on soaking.
Soak the hijiki in triple the amount of water for at least 30 minutes.
Drain the soaked lentils, rinse well and place in a large saucepan or cast-iron pot.
Add the ginger, shallot, bay leaves, peppercorns, shiitake and water. Bring to the boil and pop on the lid, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain and rinse the hijiki (throw the water away) and add to the cooking pot with the bouillon powder, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and ghee. Stir well, and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes until the lentils are super tender (easily squished between finger and thumb), adjusting the seasoning and the liquid to your liking.
Eat as is with some tamari or liquid aminos and a dollop of ghee or increase the seasoning slightly and serve over rice or sweet potato mash.
East by West tips:
*If biting into a peppercorn for a spike of pungent heat isn’t your thing, then fish them out as you eat (keeps you mindful) or skip them during the simmer and add fresh cracked black pepper to serve.
In winter, you can break up some soba buckwheat noodles and add them in for the last 5-8 minutes of cook time.
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