Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Çorbası)

Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Çorbası)

Monday, February 6, 2023

 

Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Çorbası)

The recipe is a classic, only the toasted sunflower seeds is my addition: I quite like adding a crunch to the creamy soups like this one, and tossing in buttery seeds is a great way to do so. If I were a thrifty home cook feeding a crowd (or a unsavory Istanbul canteen) I would have probably added a bit more flour and water than specified in the recipe to stretch the soup, but I don’t see such a need.

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min in a pressure cooker or 1 h 10 min in a regular pot
Total time: 45 min to 1 H 15 Min

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils, washed and drained
1 medium potato, peeled, washed and cut into 1 inch / 2.5 cm dices
1 medium carrot, thoroughly washed and cut into 1 inch / 2.5 cm dices
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch / 2.5 cm dices
6 cups water
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp fine sea salt
4 tbsp butter
2 tsp all-purpose flour
dry mint, for serving
red pepper flakes, for serving
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds, for serving (optional)
melted butter / olive oil, for serving

Directions

Place the red lentils, diced potato, carrot and onion in a pressure cooker. Pour over 6 cups water, close the pressure cooker tightly, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to a minimum and cook for 30 min. Release all the steam before removing the lid. If not using a pressure cooker, cook the lentils and vegetables in a pot with a tightly fitting lead for 50-60 min, until the lentils turn into a smooth puree. Once done, remove from the heat, add cumin and sea salt. With an immersion blender puree the soup into the homogeneous creamy texture without any lumps.

In a small pan melt the butter in the medium heat and once it starts sizzling stir in the flour. Continue stirring as the roux changes its color from golden to light caramel. At the roux starts browning slightly (after about 2 min), pour it in the soup and stir with the blender. Place the soup pot on the stove, bring to a simmer and let cook for 2-3 minutes on a low heat to let the flour thicken the soup into its comforting velvety state.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with the dry mint, red pepper flakes, toasted sunflower seeds and drizzled with a bit of melted butter / olive oil. You can also temper it with infused butter like here. After being refrigerated overnight the soup thickens; you might want to add a bit of water when reheating it.

GARLICKY LEBANESE LENTIL SOUP WITH SWISS CHARD AND LEMON

GARLICKY LEBANESE LENTIL SOUP WITH SWISS CHARD AND LEMON

Monday, January 27, 2020

GARLICKY LEBANESE LENTIL SOUP WITH SWISS CHARD AND LEMON

SERVINGS: 4

RECIPE BY: MAUREEN ABOOD

You'll be tempted to eat up the garlicky chard and onion sauté before it goes into the soup. And that’s just fine because it tastes so delicious like that. But if it’s soup you’re after, just taste and then stir the fragrant mix into the lentils. This soup tastes best when it’s not piping hot, but has cooled down a bit and flavors can really shine through. A classic rushta also contains cooked pasta noodles like linguine, which can easily be added to the recipe below. Once the chard mixture is added to the lentils, the longer it is cooked the more the chard will lose its vibrant green color and the more the lentils will soak up the liquid, so keep that cooking to a minimum.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup brown or green whole lentils
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups finely diced yellow onion
• Few grinds black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon coriander
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch Swiss Chard, cleaned, trimmed, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a 2- or 3-quart soup pot, bring lentils, 4 cups water, and ½ teaspoon of salt to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, just until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the coriander, and pepper. Sauté until very soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté just until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and cilantro and sauté until bright green and tender. Sprinkle with flour and stir to combine, still over the heat.
3. Add the Swiss chard mixture to the lentils, stir in the lemon juice, and heat through for just a few minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Serve warm, but not piping hot, for best flavor. Top bowls of soup with chopped cilantro.