Turkish lentil soup

Turkish lentil soup or Mercimek corbasi is a traditional dish of the Middle East.

The Middle East has always been famous for thousands of spices and aromas that permeate the air of colorful bazaars. Spices worth their weight in gold give an incredible taste to dishes from Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Egypt and others. Walking through the narrow rows of the oriental bazaar, you try to grasp with your eyes all the variety of colors and flavors of spices — turmeric, ginger, sumac, cumin, coriander, saffron, mustard and thousands more others. But the main thing is the combination of these seasonings in the finished dish!

Today we will prepare a cream soup with a thousand-year history. There is a legend that this soup (soup) was prepared at the dawn of civilizations. The dish is very simple, it will take about an hour and a half to prepare. From the first spoonfuls, you immediately realize that the soup is “not ours”. The soup has a pronounced oriental aroma. During cooking, the kitchen is filled with the aromas of turmeric, carrots, garlic, lentils. To obtain the consistency of the puree, you will need an immersion blender. A mandatory addition to the soup is lemon juice. Juice adds flavor and unique sourness, and yogurt – tenderness.

Recipe type: Soups

Recipe type: Turkish

Yield: 4

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 50 mins

Total time: 1 hour 15 mins

Ingredients:

White onion — 90 grams

Carrots — 200 grams

Red lentils — 180 grams

Garlic — 3 cloves

Olive oil — 3 tablespoons

Water — 1.2 liters

Tomato paste — 2 tablespoons

Sugar — 1 teaspoon

Turmeric — 1 teaspoon

Red hot pepper — ½ teaspoon

Salt — to taste

Yogurt — 1 tablespoon

Parsley — 20 grams

Directions:

1. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic separately.

2. Peel and grate the carrots on a fine grater.

3. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan with a thick bottom over medium heat.

4. Fry the onion for 3 minutes.

5. Add the carrots and fry for another 5-7 minutes.

6. Add garlic, tomato paste, sugar, turmeric, hot red pepper, lentils. Mix it up.

7. Add boiling water, stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.

8. Turn down the heat to a minimum and cover with a lid. Cook for about 15 minutes. Until the lentils are soft.

9. Use a blender to beat the soup to the consistency of puree.

10. Return the soup to medium heat and bring to a boil. Then remove from the fire.

11. Serve with yogurt, finely chopped parsley.