Egyptian Red Lentil Soup
"There's a Middle Eastern restaurant near me that has wonderful lentil soup. I've been looking for a recipe to recreate it at home, and this comes very close. I really like the flavor that results from cooking the spices in oil first before swirling into the finished soup.
The only thing I changed from the original recipe is to omit cilantro - I don't think the soup needs it. This soup is quick, easy, inexpensive, and healthy.
[From Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special]"
- Ready In:
- 55mins
- Ingredients:
- 10
- Yields:
-
8 1/2 cups
- Serves:
- 6
ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 2 cups chopped potatoes
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
directions
- Combine the water, lentils, onions, potatoes, and garlic in a soup pot, cover, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer until everything is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, and puree until smooth.
- In small saucepan on low heat, warm the oil until hot but not smoking. Add the cumin, turmeric, and salt and cook, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, until cumin is fragrant. Take care not to scorch the spices. Set aside for about a minutes or the oil will may splatter when added to the soup.
- Stir the slightly cooled spices into the soup.
- Add the lemon juice.
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Reviews
-
This was delicious! I had a 1/2 cup of red lentils to use up, so I only made a half batch, but this will become a family favorite!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I'm a programmer by day, bread baker by night. To make a living, I do process automation for management at an inbound call center. (It's really not as exciting as it sounds.) Actually, I enjoy my job. There are worse things I could be doing to finance my cooking / baking habits.
I never really knew how to cook growing up. Some of you in the Breads and Baking forum have heard my disastrous story about making Nestle Toll House cookies...
When I went to college and moved out of the dorms, I started to become interested in actually learning how to cook. I had a lactose intolerant boyfriend, and a limited budget, so it made sense to stop eating take-out pizza and Taco Bell every day. I have to credit The Dairy Free Cookbook by Jane Zukin as my first real guide. (I still cook out of it , even though the boyfriend is long gone!)
With that as a start, I set about systematically teaching myself how to cook.
Five years later, I'm getting a reputation from friends and family as being a good cook. I love baking bread from scratch (I could really become a sourdough freak - thanks Donna!) - I can't seem to make enough cinnamon raisin swirl to keep my mom and grandmother happy. I'm enjoying getting back to eating seasonally, eschewing over - processed prepared food in favor of simpler, healthier, better tasting, cheaper meals I make myself. When I set out to learn, I never imagined I'd be making stock, roasting whole chickens, baking bread, or shopping at our local farmer's market. Now I can't imagine going back to the way I used to eat.
I hope someday to learn enough about bread baking to open a local bakery/cafe, somewhere in Westport or Downtown Kansas City. I love my city, and the kind of place I have in mind will be a place that gives back to the community. I want to leave this city a better place for my having been here.
Here's my standard metric for how I review recipes here, because I want my reviews to be helpful and consistent:
***** Fantastic as is. Wouldn't change a thing and will make it often.
0**** Fantastic tweaked a little to suit my tastes. Will make it often.
00*** Had to tweak it alot to get something I would make again.
000** Not very good. May try tweaking it again at some point.
0000* Not good. Probably won't try making again, even with tweaks.
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