I’m home alone for a few weeks, so I’ve doing a lot of cooking for one. Soups have become my staple: make a big batch and it lasts for a few days lunches and dinners.
With no less than three open bags of red lentils recently discovered in the back of my press, I was determined to get through at least one of them. Far tastier than they look, the red lentil adds a wonderful thick earthiness to soups, and they’re a cheap, alternative source of protein for vegetarians and occasional meat-avoiders.
Here’s a delicious lentil soup, adapted from our reader Nanazolie‘s recipe. Make a big batch and see yourself through the week. This should give at least four generous servings.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 potato, chopped and peeled
- 1 stick of celery
- 1 leek (optional)
- About 150g red lentils
- A clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 chilli, chopped
- About an inch of ginger, chopped
- 1 tsp curry powder
- A knob of butter
- 1 litre of vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Over a medium heat, sweat the onions and leeks in a pot with butter for three minutes. Add the garlic, chilli, and ginger and sweat for another two minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the rest of the vegetables and sweat for a further five minutes, with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
- Add the curry powder, mix well, and pour in the stock.
- Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, and add in the lentils. Cook for 15-20 minutes: the vegetables should be soft and the lentils will have turned mushy
- Blend and serve, with some optional cream for an extra touch of warm opulence in this very comforting dish.
Saturday 27 February, 2010 at 11:21 pm
Indian lentil soups are not only delicious but also very nutritious and are a great option if you’re a vegetarian or vegan. You can get your protein with lentils. Here’s a simple red lentil soup recipe you might like.
http://www.vegrecipes4u.com/jeera-dal.html
For other lentil soup recipes, check out:
http://www.vegrecipes4u.com/dals-and-soups.html
Monday 1 March, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Must try your version, I had never thought of adding leek and celery
Friday 30 July, 2010 at 2:48 pm
I have been looking for this recipe since long, finally found it. I like the way its kept simple with usage of easily available igredients. Great going and thanks for sharing.
Sunday 13 February, 2011 at 7:03 pm
just made a massive pot of this…..its absolutely delicious!!yum yum 🙂
Thursday 14 April, 2011 at 10:16 am
Great soup and my 7 moths old daughter LOVES IT!!! For a bit of personal touch I added tsp of cinnamon and tsp of turmeric. Yuuuummmmmmm 😀