Difficulty level: easy
Have you ever been to a spice market in the Middle East? It`s feast for the senses as the mosaic of colourful spices stretch as far as the eye can see their fragrance permeating the air capturing your imagination and taste buds all at once. Whenever I make this red lentil soup, I am always taken back to the bustling sounds and sights of spice market in a far away exotic land.
The spice blend in this soup offers a rich, warming flavour as toasted cinnamon and cumin work together to create a wonderful complexity in this hearty dish.
Taste aside, both cinnamon and cumin pack a healthy punch through their well established anti-inflammatory properties. Combined with the lycopene boasting tomato and folate rich red lentils – this soup is an immune boosting powerhouse for health!
Very easy and fast to make requiring just a few ingredients, this recipe is great when you are short on time, but still want to turn out something nutritious and interesting for your friends and family. I also love packing this soup into thermoses and bring along on a ski through a winter forest to enjoy at a cabin by a wood stove with grilled cheese sandwiches. What a feast!
Ingredients
- 5 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)
- small yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 2 small zuccinis
- 3/4 cups of red lentils
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 4-6 table spoons of tomato paste
- cilantro
- lemon
- salt and pepper
Method
- Peel and dice the onion, chop garlic
- Rinse the lentils
- Heat up olive oil in a pot on medium heat, once oil is warmed add the onions
- Fry the onions until softened and starting to become translucent – 2-3 minutes
- Add garlic, cinnamon, and cumin (your kitchen will smell amazing!!); fry for a minute, constantly stirring taking care not to burn the spices
- Add lentils and stock, bring to boil, lower heat and cook for 5 minutes
- Chope zucchinis and add them to the pot
- Add tomato paste – here you can go according to your taste. I enjoy my soup with a robust tomato flavour, so I add lots, but you do you 🙂
- Season with salt and cook for another 15 minutes until the zucchini is tender
- Turn the soup off, add chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lemon to tie all the flavours together
- Soup can be puréed if desired
Tips
- If you have no stock on hand, just use water – the result will still be delicious!
- This recipe is easily customisable – you can add ginger, ground coriander, substitute lemon with a few drops of lime, or use parsley instead of cilantro. Be creative and have fun!
- Add harissa spice to up the heat and flavour.
- Pair it with grilled cheese sandwich for a filling lunch.
Mistakes to avoid
- You can play around with the cumin to cinnamon ratio, but be careful with adding too much cinnamon as the result could be bitter.
- Take care when reheating the soup – do not let it boil or the texture is lost.
The Global Fare 