Mercimek çorbası | Turkish Red Lentil Soup

A hand full of lentils, an onion, carrot and a potato is home comfort cooking at its best. 

بِسْــــــــــــــــــــــمِ اﷲِارَّحْمَنِ ارَّحِيم

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

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It's January and for most of the North Hemisphere ... it's reaaaaalllly coooold! Did you know January is National Soup Month? Yep, that's right... an entire month to celebrate one of our favorite comfort foods! Soup, chowder, stew -- they're all acceptable forms of soups to share with your loved ones this month! So to warm the bones and make a pot of a rich and hearty bowl of soup! The world may be freezing over in front of your eyes, but you would be in the safe harbor as long as you have a bowl of Mercimek çorbası on your table.

Mercimek çorbası is a classic and humble Turkish red lentil soup that simple, flavorful and nutritious. Soups have a  very special place in not only Turkish cuisine but also Algerian (even my native Hungary). Meals are most often started with a pipping hot bowl of soup. It offers a light and calming prelude to the main meal. 

The main ingredient in this soup are lentils. Lentils are pulses that have been around since the dawn of man. They orginated in the Far East and grow in pods, usually two lens (or lentils) per pod. Interestingly enough, lentils are one of the first domesticated crops of the Far East. A variety of pulses or lentils exist with colors that range from yellow to red-orange to green, brown and black. Red, white and yellow lentils in some cases are peeled, i.e., are those that have their skins removed before being sold. Lentils are sold in many forms, with or without the skins, whole or split. Lentils are considered a Superfood and provide essential amino acids, iron, dietary fiber, folate, vitamin B1 and minerals. Lentils also provide low cost protein much needed for the poor and vegetarians all over the world.

This soup is easy to make and simmers on the stove while you go about your day.  If you are a fan of lentil soup I suggest you give this one a try… make a big batch, invite your loved ones over and enjoy! Make every moment count.

mercimek çorbası 

turkish  RED LENTIL SOUP 

Egyptian lentil soup is spiced with cumin and chile — it's just healty comfort with a kick

HEART HEALTHY, DIABETIC FRIENDLY, LOW FAT, VEGAN ADAPTABLE, HEALTHY COMFORT FOOD, 

soups & stews | serves 6 - 8

KITCHEN TIME

PREP TIME: 15 MINS

COOK TIME: 20-30 MINS

۞ = SUBSTITUTIONS

SERVE WITH

Serve with lemon or optionally yogurt and chunk of crusty bread. 

INGREDIENTS 

‣ 3 TBS milld olive oil or ghee

‣ 300g - 1 ½ cup red lentils

‣ 1 large onion, chopped

‣ 2 carrots, chopped

‣ 2 celery ribs, chopped

‣ 3 garlic cloves, chopped

‣ 1 large potato, peeled and chopped

‣ 1 tsp ground cumin

‣ 1 sprig of fresh thyme OR ½ teaspoon dried thyme

‣ tsp cayenne pepper or ancho chile

‣  1 bay leaf

‣ ½ tsp saffron or turmeric

‣ 2 liters - 8 cups of stock (I used chicken stock) ۞

‣ salt, to taste

‣ black pepper, to taste

‣ Juice of 1 lemon 

METHOD

Heat the oil in a soup pot over a medium flame. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until softened but not browned, ~5 minutes. Add the spices, and stir for a few minutes to toast the spices in the hot oil.  Add the red lentils, potato, chopped carrots, and stock . Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have broken down into a rough puree, the potato has started to lose its shape, and the carrots are very soft, ~45 minutes. Add more water as it cooks, if needed. 

When the soup has cooked down, using an immersion blender puree the soup. Bring the soup back to simmer and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Check for seasoning, reaseon to taste with salt and pepper if needed, and stir in the lemon juice. Serve hot, with lemon wedges and a dollop of yogurt if desired.

Serve immediately topped with crispy fried onion and with pita bread or your favorite  Or optionally top with caramelized onions or arabic croutons (fried or baked pita strips) and serve with crusty bread.

KITCHEN TIPS

Storage

This soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days. And can be kept longer if frozen. To use, just reheat the soup slowly on the stovetop.

Vegan
To make this soup, vegan simply use a vegetarian based stock when making the soup.

SAHA F'TOURKOUM! 

 CATEGORIES:  HEALTHY COMFORT, SOUP, VEGAN ADAPTABLE,, Mediterranean

SOURCE:  heni el g

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• Looking for  another tasty lentil soup? Try this Turkish red lentil soupor even this Algerian soup. 
•  Or check out this pita bread, it'll go so nicely with this dish.
• Or browse through the recipe index to get inspired. 

what's your favorite soup to warm up with?  

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