With all of the herbs and spices in with the cabbage and the onions and garlic (chopped finely). If you have a rinder, grate the rind of half of the lime into the mixture (the saucepan should be over heat but not boiling). Keep your eye on the level of water as the cabbage softens and make sure that the water stays at a reasonable level. Also squeeze onto the mixture the juice of the whole lime.

If you do not have a riner or a zester/peeler, carefully slice some of the rind off from the lime and chop it finely and add.

With all of the ingredients in the pot including the asafotida, gently bring to the boil. Simmer for approximately ten minutes on a low-medium heat. If you haven't already added the dried mixed herbs, you may want to sprinkle them last at the simmering point.

If you have prepared / soaked your soya in the vegetable stock cubes overnight you can add them at this point. You could also add the soya mixture to the prepared cabbage mixture once removed from the heat and leave it to steep covered for maybe 5 or 6 hours. Don't forget to add some salt and pepper to suit your own taste. Not too much salt please. And.......

At this point, you may also add the beef stock cube if you want to.

After the whole mixture has either steeped or after you have combined the soaked soya to the prepared cabbage mixture. Wash and add the lentils. Bring to the boil agai and simmer until the lentils are quite nicely cooked. The nutty texture of the lentils is a welcome complement to the soya and cabbage. Combined with a rare hint of lime with the spices. I think it's quite something nice. Enjoy!

If you are a meat eater and are not on a diet as such or trying to lose weight, you could try adding some very very thinly sliced strips of cooked beef to this meal. Or you could wait until you lose the weight you want to lose and cook it again and add some strips of beef anyway as a treat. xxx

Opteptops advisory

Did you get it?

In previous pages i had mentioned not using oil at all and had even given what i thought was a valid reason for that.

Vegetable oil though is made from vegetables etc.

'If' you are on a diet feel free to try one bowl of this, heated in a microwave oven with half of a small teaspoonful of vegetable oil stirred in prior to heating and before adding the lentils/ without lentils. Whether dieting or not, see if you notice a difference in taste. xxx