Red Lentil Soup: the rival number one of ready-made soups

Posted by

Başak

October 10, 2024

On November 17, 2020

Preparation: 5 mins

Cooking: 15 mins

Difficulty: very easy

Yields: 2 portions

Cost: low

If you want to go straight to the recipe click here

Why you should try Turkish red lentil soup

Turkish red lentil soup is delicious, affordable and nutrient-dense and you don’t have to be a perfect soup lover to appreciate it.
Because this turkish red lentil soup is able to conquer the palates of those who have never had a passion for soups in general; moreover it is a suitable dish for every season: in winter steaming and comforting, in summer cold and refreshing.
Obviously to be part of the menus of CHE Food Revolution simple goodness or versatility are not enough.
Red lentils are naturally Cheap, Healthy and Ethical; as the title indicates “a poor dish but rich in ingredients” of high biological value, i.e. protein, mineral salts (such as iron, magnesium and potassium) and even dietary fiber.
But the extreme easiness of preparing this soup, makes the purchase of ready-made soups practically useless; they always contain too much salt, fat or other ingredients that you would not put on your plate. Besides not using any resources for packaging materials is another plus for choosing this tasty and nutrient rich soup. What else a nature lover would desire more?

Ingredients for a delicious Turkish red lentil soup

100 grams of red lentils, dry
approx. 500 ml of water or veggie broth
1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil for cooking

For garnish
a dozen or so wholemeal croutons (optional)
the juice of half a lemon (optional: but I would like you to try this combination very tasty for me and also very useful to increase the absorption of iron*)
1 tablespoon of raw extra virgin olive oil for garnish
mint (dry or fresh)
ground red turkish pepper (if you want, hot)

Directions for easy Turkish red lentil soup

Beethoven said that “Only the pure in heart can cook a good soup”.
But it’s not true, with a bit of imagination and willingness to experiment, everyone can be able to create a masterpiece: especially, this Turkish red lentil soup is so good and easy to prepare that even Cinderella’s stepmother would have succeeded.

Step 1. Wash the lentils with care and do not stop until the washing water becomes limpid. As I do with all legumes, I let them soak for at least 2 hours, even if the lentils don’t really need it for cooking:

the reason for this step is to eliminate part of the phytates, naturally present in them.

Step 2. Put a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a pot with high edges (personally I use my good old pressure cooker).

Step 3. Add the onions, carrots and celery cut into cubes, cook them for 2 minutes then pour the red lentils; cover with cold water, or vegetable broth if you have it.

About 20 minutes after boiling, the soup is ready; with the pressure cooker 10 minutes would be more than enough: you will realize that the lentils are cooked when they are no longer ‘al dente’.

Step 4. If you like a velvety effect, you can make the Turkish red lentil soup more creamy by using an immersion blender.

Smart combo’s

In Turkiye but also here in Portugal it is not uncommon to start the meal with soup; this smart tactic of poor countries can be very useful both to reduce hunger and to keep the excess kilos under control; but also to consume the right amount of food and therefore be sustainable in our eating habits.
Turkish red lentil soup if served together with a rich bowl of salad (if you wish, with a slice of wholemeal bread) would be more than enough to satiate and nourish an adult who has a sedentary life but still wanting to be careful with the calories ingested; on the contrary, if you are more active or already in good physical condition, you can reduce the amount of soup to two thirds and add a main course of vegetable origin to your menu: such as vegetarian patties or baked mushrooms; always together with a salad served with a generous lemon juice, to improve the absorption of iron*.

Serve your turkish red lentil soup with lemon juice, a drizzle of raw extravirgin olive oil, a pinch of ground red hot chilli pepper flakes and mint leaves.
You can conserve it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, otherwise you can freeze it
Enjoy your Turkish red lentil soup and good revolution to all

Bibliography
(*) Teucher B, Olivares M, Cori H. (2004). Enhancers of iron absorption: ascorbic acid and other organic acids. International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research 74(6):403-419.