A shoestring-budget lentils recipe

The dried carrots and onions, mixed

(This article dedicated to the naysayers claiming I can't write under a thousand words.)

Recently, I was at a nuts and fruits store, when I noticed they sell dried onions and carrots. Those are the two things I use for every soup, so my cooking brain geared into thinking they could be a ready supply when I don't have fresh ingredients. Then, my blogging brain turned as I saw these vegetables are extremely cheap (about 7€/kilo), with serious "one dollar diet" potential.

So, I bought some. And made a shoestring lentils soup:

Ingredients for 1 portion:

Total cost/portion ≈ 0.54€ (approximated from memory)

Instructions:

  1. Pour the carrots, onions, red pepper, and a bit of water into a pot. Stir well.
  2. Add the oil and fry until the water steams out.
  3. Add the lentils and the rest of the water.
  4. Simmer for 20-40 minutes, until the lentils and onions are both soft.
  5. Add the remaining of the spices.

While making the soup, I discovered the dried carrots are flagrantly tasteless—so I added all the spices, from sugar and turmeric, to anything I found remotely carrot-like in the cupboard.

The onions remained chewy a long time; perhaps I should soak them first.

Yet, the final result was decent—Especially considering it's made of cheap, shelf-stable products!

You really need to try it for yourself! If you find the dried vegetables, please let me know how it went! 😊

There is abundant food in the field of the poor,
but it is swept away by injustice.
Proverbs 13:23

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