A mission ‘to put lentils on every Aussie plate’

Launching a business is no small feat at the best of times — but launching a business during a global pandemic from your home is another thing altogether.

But late last year, that is exactly what friends Manjula Mishra and Amrita Burman decided to do.

From Manjula’s kitchen in Greenway, in Canberra’s south, Simply Lentils was born — a small line of prepackaged lentil and spice mixes designed to “pass on our ancient Indian food heritage using Aussie grown lentils”.

The duo’s goal was very simple: to help people love and understand how to get the most out of the humble legume.

Understanding how to cook lentils

While making lentils accessible was one battle Manjula and Amrita were willing to take on, many people still reported that they were put off by the way lentils made them feel.

“Back in India we always cook lentils with a certain selection of spices and that helps indigestion.”

“They are all digestive spices, they help indigestion, and when you put them together in your cooking they not only enhance the flavour but also add to the nutrition,” she said.

Sharing the ideas of cooking lentils through social media

Through a series of videos on the Simply Lentils Facebook page, Manjula and Amrita show viewers exactly how heroic lentils can be, using them in pizza bases, patties and curries, as well as making them into vegan meatballs and nuggets.

“Our mission is to put lentils on every Aussie plate, but in a unique and a very interesting way,” Manjula said.

“We’re passing on what we [know] to this place that we now call our home.”