Lentil Soup
Back home, my family and I loved going to this Middle Eastern restaurant called Dish N' Dash.
One of our favorite sides we we'd get (aside from their delicious falafel, of course) was a hearty lentil soup. The following recipe is the closest I've gotten to replicating that taste.
Ingredients
- Onion (white)
- Garlic
- Shallot (optional)
- Carrot
- Celery
- Tomato or tomato paste
- Masoor Dal, Red or Brown
Prep
I don't specify measurements because I rarely ever cook with exact measurements. But with this recipe, generally the amount of mirepoix should be roughly twice the amount of soaked lentils.
- Rinse and soak the lentils in water.
- Chop the veggies. Dicing is fine, since everything will be blended.
Cook
- Over a low flame, heat up some oil of your choice. Avocado or olive is best.
- Add the aromatics (garlic, onion, shallot). Shortly after, add the celery and carrots.
- As the mirepoix sweats away, sprinkle in some turmeric and red chilli powder. Also add some cumin and coriander powder. Salt at this stage.
- After a little sauteeing, add the chopped tomato or tomato paste. Salt again.
- Raising the flame to medium, add the soaked lentils and water mixture. Add more water as necessary. Cover the pot if you'd like.
- Once the lentils are thoroughly cooked, turn off the flame and let cool for a bit before moving the mix to a blender and blending to a puree. Optionally an immersion blender works too.
- Move the mix back in to the pot. In a separate smaller pan, heat up olive oil. Add red pepper chilli flakes, oregano, and sumac. When nice and fragrant, pour this mixture into the blended soup. This step makes all the difference.
- Enjoy the soup with pita chips or pita bread or by itself.
Cheers!