It’s good to know you can whip up this beautiful and delicious dish in no time at all. If you haven’t got time to cook your own Puy lentils you can use canned to make life easier for you. I find these are great for picnics and for lunch on the go, too.

serves 2

1 courgette (zucchini)

200g (7oz/1 cup) cooked Puy lentils

seeds of 1/2 pomegranate

5g (1⁄8oz/1 tsp) chervil, chopped finely

5g (1⁄8oz/1 tsp) dill, chopped finely

5–7 drops each of mirin, brown rice vinegar

and toasted sesame oil

sunflower seeds, to garnish

For the dressing:

1 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)

2 tbsp water

1/4 tsp umeboshi plum puree

juice of 1/2 lime

Using a spiraliser, spiralise your courgette (zucchini) and put the pile or raw ‘noodles’ on a serving plate. In a bowl, put the cooked lentils, pomegranate seeds, fresh chopped herbs, mirin, brown rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil and mix together. In a cup, make the dressing. Whisk the tahini (sesame seed paste) with the water until smooth – don’t worry if it looks like it’s curdling, just whisk faster. Next, add the umeboshi plum purée and lime juice and mix again. Pour the dressing over the lentils and mix well. Serve over the raw courgette (zucchini) ‘noodles’ and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.

NUTRITIONAL NUGGET

Pomegranates have abundant insoluble fibre and contain most of the B-complex vitamins, vital for energy. The seeds and juice provide antioxidants, vitamin C and ellagic acid, for great heart health.

TASH’S TIPS

A spiraliser is a fantastic kitchen implement but also a great toy – so this is one to get the kids involved in. If you like, you can also spiralise carrots, which adds an extra colour and texture to the dish.