Turkish lentil soup: the recipe for a spicy dish based on legumes

There Turkish lentil soupwhose original name is Lentil soup, is a delicious and fragrant recipe based on red lentils and spices. Quick and easy to prepare, thanks to the use of peeled legumes, it is a light and dal preparation. middle eastern flavor which, at first taste, will lead you through the evocative streets of Istanbul.

It’s about a thick soup and enveloping, excellent to taste both hot and cold according to personal tastes or outside temperatures. To make the dish even more complete and filling, you can accompany it with slices of toasted bread or a portion of boiled basmati rice.

To give the typical creamy consistency to the dish, it is the presence of potatoes which are added, cut into pieces, with sautéed carrot, celery and onion. Once the potatoes are added, the Lenses, previously rinsed and drained, then covered with water and tomato purée. When the cooking juice has reduced well, mix it with an immersion blender until you obtain a creamy and full-bodied velouté.

To make it particularly fragrant and spicy, the bag of spices: cumin seeds, cardamom and coriander which, combined with a clove of garlic, will release their heady aromas when cooked. Lemon juice, sprinkled at the end, will enhance the final taste and aroma of the dish.

Shelled coral lentils, digestible and which do not require soaking, are widely used in cooking ethnic cuisine to make, for example, lentil dahl and lentil and coconut milk soup.

Find out how to prepare it by following the step-by-step procedure and tips.

How to make Turkish lentil soup

Rinse the lentils well until the water runs clear 1.

Drain the lentils with a fine mesh strainer to prevent them from boiling over. 2.

Prepare a mixture of celery, carrot and onion 3.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes 4.

Prepare the spice bag by placing the garlic clove in the center of the sterile cheesecloth or spice bag 5.

Add coriander and cardamom seeds 6.

Mix the cumin seeds 7.

Close with kitchen twine forming a bag 8.

Pour extra virgin olive oil into a high-sided saucepan 9.

Mix the vegetables ten.

Sauté over low heat until the vegetables soften 11.

Add the potatoes 12.

Mix with a wooden spatula 13.

Also mix in the red lentils 14.

Add salt 15.

Flavor with a peppercorn 16.

Pour water 17.

Add the tomato puree and mix 18.

Flavor with the sachet of spices 19.

Cover with lid 20 and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes.

When cooked, the lentil soup will be nicely removed and the potatoes soft 21.

Remove the spice bag 22.

Mix the lentil soup with the hand blender 23.

The consistency should be creamy and velvety 24; if it is still too runny, let the lentil soup thicken over medium heat, otherwise add a ladleful of hot water or vegetable broth instead.

Add the juice of half a lemon 25.

A final mix and the lentil soup is ready to eat 26.

Serve Turkish lentil soup at the table with fresh coriander or parsley leaves 27.

storage

Lentil soup will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for about 2 days. It is advisable, during cooking, to add a ladle of water or vegetable broth.