Lentil Soup
Lentil Soup – shorbet adz
Lentil soup is one of those comfort foods that’s so soothing. It provides a real sense of well-being and just makes you feel happier. It sees you through cold weather, ill health and grotty times and has the magical ability to make the world a better place.
This is a real family favourite and has been one recipe that’s been used possibly more often than any other: great for starters, lunches and suppers.
It’s such a hearty warm meal that keeps you going and is so tasty. All you need is a chunk of good bread and it brings a big smile to your face.
Ingredients
- 2 cups red lentils
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 large onion – finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
- 2 large carrots – grated
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- a pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
- 3 pints chicken stock
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander – leaves and stalks separated & chopped
Method
Rinse the Lentils thoroughly
Put the lentils into a bowl. Cover them with boiling water and allow them to stand for 5 minutes. Drain away the cloudy water and repeat this process until the water runs clear. Getting rid of this cloudy water at this point means you won’t need to keep scraping frothy substances off the top of your soup later in the cooking process. Also, if not removed this that can cause gassiness and we wouldn’t want any of that would we?
Now put the washed lentils into a pan. Cover them with fresh water and bring them to the boil. Once they reach boil point, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the lentils are cooked and soft. Then remove the pan from the heat and set to one side.
Put the oil into a large saucepan and warm it over a medium flame.
Add the chopped onions and fry them in the oil until they begin to brown.
Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Add the grated carrots, cumin, black pepper, chilli (if you chose to include it) and the stock.
Also add the chopped coriander stalks, only the stalks – save the leaves for later.
Bring the mix to the boil again and then reduce the heat down to a gentle simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the cooked lentils to the soup and simmer for about another 15 minutes.
Add half of the coriander leaves and cook for a further 5 minutes.
how do you prefer your lentil soup?
You can now either serve the soup as a rustic chunky soup or blitz it down with a stick blender to make a much smoother blend.
Add the remainder of the coriander leaves just before serving.
Lentil soup with crusty bread – pure comfort food
Ladle into large soup bowls and enjoy with lots of warm bread.
I hope you enjoy this soup as much as I do.
Let me know how you prefer it – chunky or smooth? – with the boost of chilli or without?
I hope you’ll be back soon.