Red Lentil Soup
Red lentil soup is hearty, filling and one of winter’s must-haves.
About this Recipe
Red lentil soup is one of the most popular soups in Turkey and is one of winter’s must-haves. It’s hearty, filling and certainly in our home it’s my go-to soup for almost every occasion. It is easy and quick to make and it never fails to please our guests.
SERVES 2 – 3
PREP TIME: 15 MINS
COOK TIME: 35 MINS
In Turkey, you would find red lentil soup in every esnaf lokantası, local cafeteria-style restaurants catering to tradesmen and workers. There are some variations of it. The simplest version has only red lentils and onion in it. I like to add potatoes, onions, and carrots to the red lentils and boil them until they fall apart. After pulsing a few times with a hand blender to give a smooth consistency, I top it up with dried mint and red chilli flakes. During winter time whenever we go hiking, we like to take a flask of red lentil soup with us. Watching a picturesque view on top of a hill while sipping our soup with crusty bread is absolute bliss if you ask me.
Enjoy! If you try the recipe, please let me know in the comments below. I would love to know what you think.
Ingredients
- 15 g / 1 tbsp butter
- 1 medium-size potato, grated
- 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium-size carrot, grated
- 140 g / 1/2 level cup red lentils, washed
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp hot pepper paste (see note)
- 1 tsp tomato paste (double concentrated tomato purée) (see note)
- 950 ml / 4 cups of hot water
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (see note)
- 1 lemon
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Heat the butter in a wide, non stick pan. Tip in all the vegetables and sauté them for 10 minutes until they are soft and wilted. Add the lentils and stirring continuously, cook for few minutes.
Step 2
In the meantime heat rapeseed oil in a large saucepan. Add both pastes and create a smooth mixture on medium heat while stirring. You can add a splash of water to help this process.
Step 3
Transfer the vegetables to the saucepan. Pour in the water and sprinkle some salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for about 20 minutes until all the lentils and vegetables are falling apart.
Step 4
Remove the soup from the heat and blitz it until smooth using a hand blender.
Step 5
Ladle into bowls and top with the dried mint and red pepper flakes. Serve with crusty bread and a slice of lemon.
Notes
Leftover and reheating: You can keep the leftover soup in an airtight tub in the fridge for 3-4 days. During reheating on the hob on medium heat, stir it occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the pot. Adding a tiny bit of water helps to get a good consistency.
Hot pepper paste: It is available online as well as in Turkish and Middle Eastern shops. Hot pepper paste is a thick deep red paste made by blending together cooked red peppers, chillies, olive oil and salt. Then to desiccate all the juices, they are dried in the sun. This deepens the colour and intensifies the flavour. A small amount is enough to give a spicy, rich texture to dishes. It is used mainly in the southeast of Turkey. There is no substitute but you can omit it.
Tomato paste: It is available online as well as in Turkish and Middle Eastern shops. Tomato paste is basically cooked down and concentrated tomatoes. It is used mainly in the southeast of Turkey. Having roots in Urfa and Gaziantep, admittedly I do use them quite a lot in my cooking. You can substitute with double concentrated tomato purée which is widely available in supermarkets.
Red pepper flakes: These flakes have a moderate heat. You can find them in Turkish or Middle Eastern shops. Ground cayenne powder can be used as a substitute. Use half as much ground cayenne to achieve the same level of heat. You can find more information about this here.
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Will be making this one again… and again! Tasty, more-ish, and the mint was a nice touch. Thanks, Sonay!
Thank Vik. I am so glad to hear you have enjoyed it. Lentil soup is our favourite soup.