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Čočka na kyselo
Čočka na kyselo: sour Czech lentils with vinegar and onion, served with a fried egg and gherkin
Brown lentils, a good splash of vinegar and a crisp-edged fried egg on top: čočka na kyselo is the Czech school-canteen and workers' lunch that people grow nostalgic about. Bohemian families also eat lentils around New Year, when the small round seeds stand for coins. The lentils are cooked soft, bound in a light roux with fried onion and finished sour and a touch sweet, then served with a sliced pickled gherkin and fresh bread. The texture should be spoonable, not soupy and not stiff. Where most cooks slip up is adding the vinegar too early: acid keeps lentils firm, so they stay hard however long you cook them. Season at the end instead. Chef's tip: a teaspoon of mustard stirred in with the vinegar rounds out the sourness without making it taste of mustard.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the lentils
- 10 ½ oz brown lentilsrinsed
- 4 ¼ cups water
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 large onionfinely chopped
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 garlic clovescrushed
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegaror to taste
- 1 tsp mild mustard
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
To serve
- 2 tbsp sunflower oilfor frying
- 4 eggs
- 4 pickled gherkinssliced
- 4 slices fresh bread (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 10 ½ oz brown lentils, 4 ¼ cups water, 2 bay leaves and 3 allspice berries in a pot, bring to the boil and skim off any foam. Simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, until the lentils are soft and creamy inside but not falling apart. Keep the cooking liquid.
30 minStep 2: Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry 1 large onion for 8–10 minutes, until deep golden.
10 minStep 3: Sprinkle 2 tbsp plain flour over the onion and stir for 2 minutes, until it turns light brown. Ladle in about 200 ml of the lentil liquid and stir to a smooth, thick sauce.
2 minStep 4: Tip the onion sauce into the lentils, take out the bay leaves and allspice, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until thick enough to hold a soft mound on a spoon. Add a splash more water if it gets stiff.
5 minStep 5: Stir in 2 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp mild mustard, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Taste: it should be clearly sour with a hint of sweetness.
1 minStep 6: Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a clean frying pan over a medium heat, crack in 4 eggs and fry for 3–4 minutes, until the whites are completely set and the edges are lacy and crisp.
4 minStep 7: Spoon the lentils onto plates, top each with a fried egg and lay 4 pickled gherkins alongside. Serve with 4 slices fresh bread.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does čočka na kyselo take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
- What can I use instead of large onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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