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I would like to welcome our dear viewers. My name is Agnes Bugán Szabónyi, and I am from Vépr, Hungary. I welcome you all to the Summer Seminar of Yoga in Everyday Life. Today, I am going to cook a Hungarian lentil soup. I chose this soup because it is easy to prepare, and many people like lentils, including those who are not used to vegetarian food. First, I will show you the ingredients: lentils, olive oil, basil, bay leaves, dried herbs or oregano, bell pepper or chili, salt, vegetables—carrot, parsley root (which we know for its leaves, but here we use the root), red onion (this is what Hungarians like to use), tomato, sweet green pepper, and water. Now we can start. I put the lentils in water. Fortunately, if we soak them a day before, they will cook faster. But if we don’t have much time, then at least an hour before, we put the lentils in water. Then we sift and wash them thoroughly in a sieve. If you find any impurities, you can remove them. After washing, you can use water to rinse away any remaining impurities. Now I will put the lentils in the pot. First, let's start with the oil. I put olive oil in a pan. This is healthier than regular sunflower oil. I add two tablespoons of olive oil. Then I prepare the spices. Fresh basil leaves are best, but if you don’t have them, you can use dried ones as well. Now I cut the basil into very small pieces. I washed the leaves beforehand, of course. Next, a little bay leaf. You need very little of this. Bay leaves were used in old Hungarian kitchens, though they are rarer today. I also cut this into small pieces. Now I have a little oregano powder. I will show you how much I use. I will heat the oil on a small stove. I add a little oil to warm it up. Now we will add the spices: basil, oregano, and some other green spices. When the oil has warmed up, I take it off the heat and add the spices. If using dried spices, we only need a little. I stir it, being careful that it doesn’t burn. I wait a little, and when it's not so hot, I add the paprika because if the oil is too hot, the paprika can burn easily and become bitter. I add two teaspoons of paprika and stir it. When it's ready, I add the salt—two teaspoons. Of course, you can use more or less according to your taste. Now I add the lentils and enough water to cover them. Filtered water is best. The water should not be too much. Now I put it on the fire. You can turn up the heat a bit until it starts to boil. While that heats, I prepare the vegetables. First, the carrot. In winter, you can cut carrots into bigger pieces; in summer, smaller pieces. The parsley root should be a little less than the carrot. We are not using the leaf but the root. We cut this into small pieces as well. Sometimes the vegetable is not perfect, so I select another part to ensure the inner part is good. If you cut it into smaller pieces, it boils quicker. Next is the onion. Hungarians like it very much, but if you don’t, you can cook without it. Cut it into small pieces as you like. Children usually prefer vegetables cut into smaller pieces. For example, men might like bigger pieces, while women prefer smaller pieces. If we want our family to enjoy vegetarian food, we can take care of these small details. Next is the tomato. It's enough to cut it into four pieces. For the pepper, a smaller piece is enough, not a big one. We have three children in our family. They like it cut into small cubes, but sometimes we vary the shapes, so you can prepare it as you like. We use Hungarian peppers, tomatoes, and spices, which is why we call it Hungarian lentil soup. When the vegetables are ready, we add them to the lentils. Hungarians like to use paprika, tomato, and red pepper powder, and that's why we call it Hungarian-style lentil soup. Now we add the vegetables to the lentils, and the preparation is done. I stir the soup so the water covers everything. The water should cover the vegetables but not be excessive; then it boils easily and will become softer in a short time. We can boil it for 25 or 30 minutes. It's very important that the lentils become soft and open up, and that the vegetables become soft as well. You can taste to see if it's salty enough. But if you taste it, you should not use the same spoon again because we are cooking for other people. Later, you can add more water because lentils soak up water; this will also prevent the soup from becoming too dense. If it's too salty, you can add more water. When the soup is ready, we can serve it. I don't use paper napkins because we can protect the environment. We use as little paper as possible, so we avoid paper napkins for food. Our family's experience is that we invite friends and acquaintances for an open-fire meal. They love this dish very much, prepared in a pot. It has become very popular among those who rarely eat lentils and are less open to vegetarian dishes. But with this Hungarian lentil soup, we can win them over; they enjoy it. It has a special taste and is even more delicious if cooked on an open fire. I wish you good cooking, good food for everyone, and a successful vegetarian diet. In our family, we find that if we invite friends and cook this soup on an open fire, it gives a different and very special taste. Even friends who are not vegetarian or not really open to vegetarian food like this soup very much, and in this way, they come to appreciate the vegetarian kitchen. So I wish you good cooking, a good appetite, and a nice, successful vegetarian life.