My kids are a big fan of Lebanese Lentil Soup so I made them Turkish Lentil Soup for the first time and they loved it! They are similar but the Turkish one has extra flavors incorporated with the recipe. A must try.
What you’ll need
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 large onions, diced
1 medium potato, diced
Two large carrots, diced
4 crushed garlic
2 cups of red lentils, washed well
1/2 cup of rice, washed
One chicken bouillon
1 tablespoon of tomato paste, normal tablespoon
1 full teaspoon of sweet red pepper paste, normal teaspoon
2-3 teaspoons of cumin powder (per preference)
2 teaspoons of black pepper (use less or more)
1/2 cup or up to 3/4 lemon juice (per preference)
Salt and pepper to taste
2-2.25 L of hot water (add more for desired consistency)
Oil topping
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp dry mint
1 tsp chili flakes
Fry the onion until translucent and golden in color.
Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for about a minute or two.
Add in the chicken bouillon and spices, salt along with the tomato and pepper paste.
Mix and cook everything together for about 5 minutes.
Add the washed lentils and rice. Mix well.
Next add the boiling water.(Using boiling water helps the soup cook faster)
Mix everything together well and cover to cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hr on medium-low heat until everything is very well cooked. Keep an eye on it and mix often.
Once cooked, blend the soup until smooth with a hand blender.
Add in the lemon juice cover and cook on low heat until you prepare the oil topping mixture.
For the oil topping, you’re going to cook the spices with the oil for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
Add half the oil mixture into the soup and mix until well combined. Cook everything together for a few more minutes and serve.
Serve the soup in a bowl and top with the oil mixture and garnish with parsley flakes. This soup serves well with toasted pita bread.