This recipe is presented as a suggested evening main course. It's hearty and full of fibre and protein from the lentils and the eggs. We already had other dinner plans however and I thought it sounded like a promising brunch idea, so we had it for our morning meal.

I was short on brown lentils, so I made it with a mix of brown and French (du Puy) lentils. This seemed to work reasonably well. That said, I think it might be interesting to try it with another variety sometime. Honestly, it might be interesting to play around with both the type of legumes and the spice mix(es) used. What about split peas and bottle masala? Or split, skin-on mung beans and balti masala? Mapte beans (black lentils/sabud urad) and Punjabi garam masala? Red lentils (masoor dal/Egyptian lentils/skinned split brown lentils) and sambhar masala? There are so many possibilities! And you could play around with the dairy too. Simmons offers the option of either milk or cream, but you could try it with yogurt or khoya or coconut milk or some combination of two or more options.

Poached Eggs on Curried Lentils

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 c. mirepoix (or "spaghetti mix")
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Madras curry powder
• 3 c. water
• 1 1/2 c. brown lentils
• ~3/4 c. diced potato
• 1/2 c. milk or cream
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. vinegar (optional)
• 4-8 large eggs
• 1/4 c. fried onions
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add mirepoix and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add the curry powder and stir to coat the vegetables.
5. Add the water, lentils, and potatoes and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender (~25 minutes).
7. Add the milk (or cream), salt, and pepper and set aside until ready to serve.
8. Fill a deep pan with water (adding the vinegar to the water if desired) and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat so that the water is gently simmering, crack an egg into a small bowl or cup, and pour it into the water. Repeat with 2-3 more eggs (depending on the size and shape of your pan).
10. Poach eggs for 3-5 minutes: three minutes for soft, five for medium.
11. Scoop some of the lentils into a bowl and top with an egg or two.
12. Sprinkle with some fried onions and cilantro and serve.