Slovak sweet-and-sour lentils with fried eggs

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1. Cook the lentils

   Rinse the lentils in a strainer under cold water and place them in a pot. Add 1.2 l water and the bay leaves, cover, and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Season with salt at the end of cooking.

2. Make the roux

   Finely chop the onion. Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion until golden. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes to make a light brown roux.

3. Thicken the lentils

   Add a ladleful of the lentil cooking liquid to the roux, stir until smooth, and pour into the lentils. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water.

4. Season

   Remove the bay leaves. Season the lentils with the vinegar, sugar, and pepper, adding mustard and salt to taste, for a pleasantly sweet-and-sour flavor.

5. Fry the eggs

   Heat the oil in a skillet and crack the eggs into it side by side. Fry over low heat for 3–4 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft.

6. Serve

   Divide the lentils among plates, top each serving with a sunny-side-up egg, and serve with a sour pickle.

Tip: Choose the freshest eggs possible for sunny-side-up eggs—the thicker whites will spread less in the pan, and the yolks will stay rounded in the center.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Šošovica na kyslo s volským okom