This is a winter staple of mine that changes depending on what bits of veg are looking frumpy in my fridge, my budget, and the amount of time I have. The base is super simple and consists of:
1 large onion, chopped (finely if you can be bothered).
3 large cloves of minced garlic (at leat).
1 nubbin (about a thumb) of grated ginger (optional).
3-4 decently sized carrots, cubed (the smaller, the faster it cooks).
3-4 hefty potatoes, peeled and cubed somewhat larger than the carrots.
1.5-2 cups of split peas (any colour) or red/yellow lentils, or as I like a mix of about half and half.
3 tbs veg oil.
1.5 tbs of yellow curry power (nothing fancy needed).
Salt to taste.
2-2.5 litres (8.5-10 cups) of water, (veg/chicken broth if I have a cube).
Sweat the onions and carrots in the oil on medium low heat without browning. When the onions are clear, add the the garlic, ginger, and curry powder and sweat for another minute. Add potatoes, salt, water or broth and bring to a boil. If you’re using both split peas and lentils, add the peas first, they take about 35-40 min to cook so I give them a 20 min head start. (If I’m in a hurry or only have lentils in the pantry, I cut my potatoes small as well and give the veg a 10 min head start.) Red/yellow lentils cook in about 10 minutes and I find that they tend to make the soup stick and burn if I add them too early. Once the split peas and potatoes are starting to fall apart I give it a few hearty stirs with a whisk to give all the starches a chance to thicken it up (if it’s too thick I add some water) and give it a final taste of salt and it’s done. The coriander (cilantro) on top is optional. This base recipe serves 4 hungry people and tastes even better after a night in the fridge.
Things (frumpy veg and leftovers)that go great in this (and stretch the soup):
Celery or celery root (celeriac) finely diced and sweated in the beginning of the soup.
Leeks.
White cabbage (a personal favourite of mine).
Cauliflower (in any shape of form).
Cooked chickpeas/green lentils.
Cooked rice.
by Dystopiandaywalker