Bite

Carrot, Lentil And Sesame Bites Recipe

These are wonderfully versatile and made from just a few simple, cheap ingredients but are incredibly tasty.

Thank you to Hannah Rayner for sharing this recipe with us.

'I have served them as nibbles at a girls-night-in with a sweet chilli dipping sauce and also as a starter with a few baby leaves. My kids love them with jacket potatoes, as a sort of mini veggie-burger or balanced on top of a mound of rice. Make a batch and freeze what you don't use. They heat up very easily in the microwave.' Hannah Rayner

Ingredients

125g red lentils 30g onion, finely chopped 250g carrots, peeled and grated 100g mature cheddar, grated 150g white breadcrumbs 35g sesame seeds 2 eggs, beaten ½ tsp caster sugar

Makes 24

Cooking instructions

1, Cook the lentils as instructed on the packet but making sure the mixture has absorbed all the water and is quite dry. Spread out on a plate to cool.

2, Mix the cooled lentils with the onion, grated carrots, grated cheese, and 40g of the white breadcrumbs. Season with the sugar, a pinch of salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper.

3, Mix the remaining breadcrumbs with the sesame seeds. Beat the eggs with 2tbs water. Form the carrot and lentil mixture into balls, about 3cm across, using about 1 slightly rounded tablespoon of the mixture each. Dip each one in the beaten egg and coat with the breadcrumb and sesame mix then flatten slightly. Put the coated bites on a plate or two in a single layer and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.

4, Heat some oil in a large non-stick frying pan and gently fry the bites for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve hot or cold with the sweet chilli sauce to dip into

Recipe taken from Ocado.com