Lentil Soup

From what I gather this soup is served in Turkey. It is good, it is mostly easy to make and it doesn't take that long either. I just made it again this evening. It is always a winner. No pictures I'm afraid as I was just trying to put food on the table.

Here's how I did it. This will probably feed 6 or 8 people.

Ingredients:

2 Cups dried lentils. Red, green, brown, I don't think it matters. Picked over and washed well.
1 large onion chopped
Enough water to cover the lentils by about 2 inches.
1 quart of hot water on the side.
3 tablespoons of butter.
3 tablespoons of all purpose flour.
1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon cumin.
1 Cup of plain yogurt.
2 1/2 Tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Probably the juice of one lemon.
2 level, to possibly 2 heaping teaspoons of salt.
Ghee
Bread of your choice, lemon wedges, plain yogurt and extra ghee for your guests. I use Naan with ghee for bread with this. (is good)

>Put the cleaned lentils in a large pot and cover the lentils by 2 inches with water. Bring to a boil.
>Chop the onion and throw it in the pot.
>Add the cumin.

*I had some dried stems from curry leaves so I threw 6 of those in there instead of using cumin powder.*

>When the pot boils turn down the heat and let it slowly boil uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring it now and again along the way.

>Put another pot on the stove with maybe a quart of water and bring it up to a simmer. This is to thin the soup if the need arises at the end.

*This where you make a roux. It's tricky for me and I've failed right here more than once.*
 
>Put yet another small pot on very low heat and melt the butter.
>Add the flour and stir it in with a silicone spatula till it is mixed very smoothly.
>Stir constantly till the roux has developed an orange/brown sort of color and smells nice and nutty.

*This will take probably 10 minutes of constant stirring. Either pull it off the heat before it gets to the color you need and keep stirring till it stops cooking at just the right color, OR pull it off the heat when it is done and immediately cool it in the sink to stop it from going any further. If, when the roux is done and you inspect it closely, you find little dark spots in it you have burned it and you must throw it away and do it over. Don't believe me? Then taste it. It will taste burnt and it will ruin your entire pot of soup if you use it.*

>When the 20 minutes are up get in the lentil pot with a stick blender and blend the lentils well, or put it through a blender or food processor.
>Put the soup back on a medium low heat and add the salt.
>Stirring the pot the whole time drizzle the roux in slowly till it is well incorporated and allow the soup to cook for a minute or two.
>Add the lemon juice and stir it in well.
>Add the yogurt and stir it in well to get all the lumps out.
>Add the heated water as needed to make the soup a little thinner than you think it should be as it will thicken as time goes by.
>Check for salt.

*In my opinion the cumin taste should just barely be there or even not be detectable. It can add a necessary richness to this without being tasted.*

To serve, put the soup in the bowls and put maybe a teaspoon of ghee in the center and allow it to melt. When melted, stir it just into the surface of the soup and create swirls of melted ghee. A small dollop of yogurt set in the middle is OK too.

Serve with warm Naan with ghee smeared on it and allow access to extra lemon wedges, yogurt, ghee and salt.





 


 

I guess it would be cream of lentil soup, Margi. It is very good and it is easy to try. I like soups and have made many kinds, but there are only a very few that I make repeatedly, and this is one of them. So please, give it a try. I think you'll be impressed.

The roux, lentils, salt and the cumin provide a heartiness. The yogurt, a tang. The lemon, a brightness. And the ghee provides a complimentary here-and-there sort of buttery nuttiness that comes and goes as you eat.  And a nice hot naan with ghee, well that's just good eating anytime, but it goes very well with this soup.

It is relatively low fat and has no meat in it, but you won't miss those things and it makes a great lunch.   

Does Mrs. Taz like pea soup? This wouldn't be much of a stretch beyond that. This soup, at least if made with the red lentils, isn't the least bit grainy and everything is quite smooth if you really blend it well.

I found on what I base this recipe somewhere on the net and I can't remember when or where. I do recall it being called Turkish, but I suppose there is a possibility I have that wrong. I really don't know about the Indian connection, however there is nothing in this that wouldn't be found and used in India.

Heck Taz, make a half recipe, it doesn't cost much to make. Give Mrs. Taz a greasy grilled American cheese sammich and a full sugar 20oz coke with a hand full of Cheetos and a Ding-Dong on the side.   Meanwhile, right in front of her eat a beautifully presented bowl of lentil soup and some good bread and butter with aplomb and relish, follow with a big hand full of those cherries that are on sale right now. If she asks for some soup deny her   and just pass her some antacid tablets.

You know I kid.

I've only used red and some sort of brown ones I find in the Mexican food section of the big chain grocery store. These both seem to be cooked just fine in 20 minutes or so. You want to cook them till they are all split open anyway.

this is a great soup . great in the the winter .if you want you can drizzle few drops of garlic  oil, when you serve it . it will give it a kick.