When my children get hungry in the evening, I like to cook something quick and easy. Therefore, we like to eat soups in the evening. They are (mostly) healthy and light and don’t cause much work. One of our favorite soups is red lentil soup.
The red lentils are perfect for soups as their cooking time is short. Additionally, they are rich in protein and iron. Red lentils are less common than brown lentils in Morocco, but you can find them in the neighborhood mills, for instance. They are called Turkish lentils (“adas atrak”).
For my red lentil soup, I cook the red lentils with sautéed vegetables and different spices. When everything is cooked, I blend the soup so that it becomes smooth and creamy. And that’s it! Make sure to serve the soup with fresh lemon wedges. Some drops of lemon juice are a nice contrast to the starchy taste of the lentils and give the soup a fresh aroma! The preparation time is about 30 minutes in total. This soup is also great for the Iftar table in Ramadan. To make the soup more soothing, you can also serve it with some croutons, e.g. pieces of deep-fried pita bread. For mor vegan soup inspirations try also green split peas soup and hearty vegetable soup!
Ingredients:
- 250g red lentils
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 large carrot
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 large potato
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- Water, about 1.5 liters
moreover:
- lemon wedges to serve
Directions:
- Peel the onion, the garlic cloves, and the carrot. Then, chop the onion roughly and slice the carrot.
- Next, heat the olive oil in a pot and add the onion, the whole garlic cloves, and the carrot slices. Sauté the ingredients carefully on low flame for a few minutes until the garlic and the onions are slightly cooked.
- Meanwhile, peel the potato and dice it roughly. Also, peel the tomatoes, halve them, and remove the seeds. Now, put both into the pot and fry all for 1 more minute. Afterward, add about 1,5 liters of water to the vegetables and bring the soup to boil.
- While the soup is getting heated, wash the lentils and add them to the soup. Then, add the spices.
- Cook the soup for about 20 minutes until the lentils and the veggies are soft.
- Finally, blend the soup and taste it. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and also add more water when the soup is too thick. The soup tastes best when you drizzle it with some drops of fresh lemon juice!
