Dhal is a Hunza staple: the lentils provide locals with fiber to keep their intestines healthy and protein to give them the sustained energy they require to tread the steep terrain all day and play and dance in the evenings. Hunzakuts crumble home-made brown bread into their dhal; an alternative is to eat it with brown rice or whole grain bread on the side.

1 can drained lentils OR two cups cooked lentils (brown, black or yellow – the Hunzakuts use any of these colors)
1 large onion, shredded
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (Hunzakuts use ghee or clarified butter)
3 tomatoes, chopped very small
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2-3 fresh green chili peppers, chopped small
2 teaspoons garam masala or curry powder
Sea salt (optional)
The juice of 2 lemons
1 bunch cilantro (coriander), chopped
2-4 tablespoons plain live yogurt

Wash the lentils well. Place in a pan with 17 fluid ounces water, bring to the boil and cook (how long this takes depends on the type of lentils; it may be as little as 15-20 minutes). In the meantime, heat the oil in a heavy-based pan, add the onion, and cook for 3 or 4 minutes until soft. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and chilis and cook for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garam masala or curry powder and a little salt to taste if desired.

When the lentils are cooked, add them to the mixture and simmer for 5 minutes. Add extra tomato paste and/or water if the dhal is too dry. Squeeze in the lemon juice, then mix in the coriander and serve with a dollop of yogurt on the side. Serves 2.

Mung beans, a traditional food in China and in Okinawa, are a great source of protein, fiber, and folate. In China, they are used to treat food poisoning, mumps, and skin conditions; they are considered to have powerful detoxifying properties in Ayurvedic medicine.

3 cups mung beans, soaked overnight and cooked
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped small
1 carrot, chopped small
1 stick celery, chopped small
1 teaspoon ginger (ground, dried or minced, fresh)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 lemon
1 tablespoon live plain yogurt
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan and add the onion. Stir for 2-3 minutes then add the carrot, celery, coriander seeds, ginger, and cumin.

Stir for another 5 minutes then add water or stock to amply cover the vegetables (how much depends on how thin you like your soup) and simmer with a lid on for around 40 minutes or until the carrot is soft.

Add the mung beans and turmeric, heat through, and serve with the lemon, yogurt and cilantro. Serves 2.

This Roman springtime classic is easy to make, if you don’t mind doing a bit of pea-shelling, but has a very sophisticated and wonderful taste, with its clever juxtapositions of flavors. Even people who don’t like broad beans should enjoy vignole.

Vignole goes well with pasta in a garlic sauce or garlic bread - use whole grain pasta or bread if possible.

2 cups broad beans in their pods
2 cups fresh peas in their pods
4 artichoke hearts (preferably good quality, from a delicatessen, or bought whole and blanched for 5 minutes)
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 thick slice prosciutto ham
2 thin slices prosciutto ham, cut into ribbons

Shell the peas and broad beans and place in a dish. Chop the mint leaves. Blanch the broad beans in boiling water for 2 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a heavy-based pan and sauté the onion until golden. Add the peas and stir in. Pour in a small amount of water to just cover the peas and place the thick slice of ham on top, then simmer slowly for around 30 minutes or until the peas are soft. Add more water if the peas start to dry. When cooked, remove the slice of ham and throw it away – it will have left its flavor behind with the peas.

In another pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. If you are using fresh artichokes which you have cooked yourself (for just 5 minutes), remove most of the stems and the toughest outer leaves as well as the tips and then slice the artichokes lengthways into eighths. Add these to the olive oil and cook them, stirring, until they start to turn golden-brown. If using ready-cooked artichoke hearts, add them to the pan and stir in.

Add the mint, pepper to taste, and 2-3 tablespoons of stock or water. If using fresh artichokes you may also wish to add a pinch of salt. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

Combine the artichoke mixture, broad beans and peas and heat through briefly (take care not to cook as the broad beans will become rubbery). Turn off the heat and stir in the prosciutto and a splash more olive oil. Serves 2.

This makes a very useful, quick, inexpensive, filling, nutrient-rich lunch or supper and is especially convenient if you want to take something to the office or on the road. This also goes well with soup; if you are having an office lunch try making soup in batches and freezing it, then heating it up in the morning and taking it with you in a food flask to accompany your salad.

1 can beans, or 2 cups beans which have been soaked overnight and cooked (eg borlotti beans, kidney beans, canneloni beans, black-eyed beans, black beans)
2 tablespoons fresh seeds (eg pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds)
2 cups salad vegetables of your choice – eg carrot, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, fennel, celery, watercress, arugula
Fresh herbs (optional)
Olive oil-based salad dressing

Simply mix together the ingredients and dress just before serving. Serves 1-2.

This simple recipe makes a very sustaining soup and is perfect with a salad. If you are busy and don’t want to spend time making lunch, you can make it in batches and freeze it, then heat it up when you are ready to eat it. If you want to eat it in the office or on the road and have no cooking facilities, it is worth investing in a food flask so you can heat it up in the morning and have it at lunch time.

1 can beans OR 2-3 cups soaked and cooked beans (kidney beans, aduki beans and black beans work well)
1 can tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons butter (optional)
1 onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stick celery, chopped
Chicken or vegetable stock cube
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon mixed herbs
1-2 tablespoons live yogurt
A lemon wedge
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil and butter in a pan. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook gently for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add the canned tomatoes, stock cube and water and simmer with the lid on for about 10 minutes, making sure you stir the stock cube in well. Add the beans, herbs and seasoning, and more water if necessary, and simmer with the lid on for another 5 minutes.

Blend to the desired consistency and serve with a dollop of yogurt and a squeeze of lemon. Serves 1-2.

This is a simple vegetarian version of ordinary shepherd’s pie. If desired you can cook other vegetables with the lentils such as chopped zucchini, broccoli florets cut small, and/or chopped bell peppers.

14 ounces (by weight) lentils (green or brown)
3-4 potatoes for mashing
1 tablespoon butter (optional – for the potatoes)
1/2 cup cream or milk (optional – for the potatoes)
1 onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, chopped small
1 stick celery, chopped small
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon vegetable stock powder or 1 vegetable stock cube
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon mixed herbs
Freshly-ground black pepper
1/2-1 cup grated cheese

Scrub or peel the potatoes and cut them in half. Boil a pan of water and cook the potatoes until done.

Meanwhile, gently cook or sweat the onion, celery, carrot and garlic in the olive oil in a pan for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are softening. Add the vegetable stock with a splash of water and mix in. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the lentils, herbs and pepper to taste and stir in.

Mash the potatoes and add butter and cream or milk if desired. As a more healthful alternative you can mix them with olive oil.

Place the lentil mixture in a baking dish and layer the potato on top. Cook in the oven at 375F for 30 minutes, then sprinkle the top with the cheese and cook for another 10 minutes. Serves 2-3 .

Salmon and lentils make a good culinary match and both are great ways to get protein, so it’s a good idea to have them together – you can try your own variations of this basic recipe. This goes well with a large salad or lightly-cooked green vegetables such as spinach, watercress, zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, or green beans.

5 to 7 ounces (by weight) salmon
1 can Puy lentils or 2 cups Puy lentils, soaked and cooked
1 onion, chopped small
1 carrot, chopped small
1 stick celery, chopped small
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped small
1/2 tablespoon vegetable bouillon powder or ½ vegetable stock cube
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1 lemon
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Place the salmon in an oven dish, drizzle with olive oil, and season. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan (preferably heavy-based) and add the chopped vegetables. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Add the vegetable bouillon powder or stock cube and a splash of water and stir in. Cook for around 10 minutes on a low heat until soft. Add the cooked or canned lentils and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Serve the lentils with the cooked salmon on top, sprinkled with lemon juice and the chopped dill. Serves 2.

This is one of those recipes with which you can experiment with endless variations of your own. Try adding sun-dried tomatoes, chili pepper, mustard, cheese, or different herbs, for example. Serve with a big green salad.

1 can aduki beans or 2 cups aduki beans, soaked overnight and cooked
1 cup millet or quinoa, cooked
1 red onion, chopped very small
1 stick celery, chopped very small
1 carrot, chopped very small
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon parsley or cilantro (coriander), chopped small
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or heavy-based pan and cook the red onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes, then add the rest of the vegetables and cook for a further 5 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat and put the mixture into a food processor. Add the quinoa and aduki beans and blend until they are well-combined. Add the parsley or cilantro, pepper to taste and a pinch of salt if required and whizz round once more to mix in.

Put the mixture in a bowl and refrigerate it for 30-60 minutes. Remove and form into small patties – to do this, make a ball and then flatten it slightly between your palms.

Place the burgers on a lightly-oiled baking tray and cook at 375F for 30 minutes, turning the burgers over once mid-way through cooking. Serves 2-3.

This is a great combination of flavors and provides a good mix of proteins, carbs and vegetables, especially when served with a fresh green salad on the side.

2 sweet potatoes, baked (this takes about 1-1/2 hours on 375F)
1-2 red bell peppers, baked in the oven until soft (this takes around 40 minutes, so put them in with the sweet potatoes)
1 can Puy lentils or 2 cups Puy lentils, soaked and cooked
2 tablespoons mixed seeds (e.g., pumpkin and sunflower seeds)
A handful of basil leaves, torn
1/2 cup black olives, pitted
1/2-1 tablespoon feta cheese (optional)
Olive oil and lemon salad dressing

When your potatoes and peppers are almost done, mix together the lentils, seeds, olives and basil, and dress with the salad dressing.

Slice the cooked peppers into strips, add them to the salad, and crumble the feta cheese over the top. Serve with the sweet potato. Serves 2.

This is a beany version of the Hunzakut lamb, pasta and feta stew. If you don’t want to make this with pasta, use quinoa, brown rice, or barley instead, served on the side.

1 can beans (e.g., black beans, kidney beans, borlotti beans) or 2 cups beans which have been dried and soaked overnight
Vegetable stock
2 onions, one whole and one chopped very small or shredded
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped very small
6-8 tomatoes, chopped very small
2 tablespoons tomato purée
3-1/2 ounces (by weight) pasta (tagliatelle broken into shorter pieces works well)
2 teaspoons oregano or mixed herbs
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3-1/2 ounces (by weight) organic feta cheese
A glass of wine (optional)

Heat the olive oil on a fairly low heat in a heavy-based saucepan. Gently cook the onion, garlic and celery until soft. Add the tomatoes with the tomato purée and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Add enough stock to cover the vegetables with about an extra inch or so of liquid on top. Simmer with the lid on for about an hour. Add more juice if necessary. You can also add a glass of red or white wine.

Add the pasta and cook until it is al dente. Add the herbs and season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the feta cheese crumbled over the top. Serves 2.

5 to 7 ounces (by weight) Asian noodles (such as Udon noodles, wheat noodles, buckwheat noodles or rice noodles – use brown rice noodles if you can get them)
1-1/2 to 3-1/2 ounces (by weight) firm tofu, diced
1-2 tablespoons cilantro (coriander), finely chopped
1-2 scallions (spring onions), chopped
1 carrot, julienned (optional)
1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Tamari or other good quality soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2-1 tablespoon groundnut oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 cup baby leaf spinach or pak choi
1/2-1 cup sugar snap peas or mangetouts (snow peas)

Cook the noodles, strain and set aside. Whilst they are cooking, dry-fry the sesame seeds in a frying pan then remove and set aside.

Heat the sesame oil and groundnut oil in the frying pan, then add the garlic and ginger and cook for a few seconds. Add the tofu and stir until heated through. Add the greens and stir in until they are just starting to wilt, then add the noodles and tamari and stir briefly to heat.

Take off the heat, mix in the carrot, and serve sprinkled with the sesame seeds, spring onions and cilantro. Serves 1-2.