The other day I was hankering after a soup that would make me feel warm from the inside out, that would basically give me a food hug, but preferably still be healthy. So I had a go at making this soup, and loved it! It made enough for lots of leftovers, and it reheats really well.
I based the flavours on a lentil dahl, which is my favourite kind of curry. The use of spices and some tomatoes helps to do that.
Adding the lemon juice at the end adds a note of brightness to the flavour of the soup, so don't be tempted to skip this ingredient. Taste the soup before and after you add it, and you will see what I mean.
Add the split red lentils to a bowl and cover with a generous amount of water. Swish them around, The water will go frothy. Tip the water away. Repeat this process until the water stops going frothy. Set bowl aside, after tipping away the last amount of water.
Add the wine (or vegetable stock) to a large stock pot. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Cook on high until the wine is boiling, then turn down to a simmer. Cook, stirring regularly, until the wine has evaporated, and the onions are translucent.
Add the cumin, curry powder, turmeric, black pepper and garic. Cook, stirring constantly, until the spices start to stick to the bottom of the pot. Make sure the spices don't burn.
Add the stock, lentils and tomatoes. Cover and turn the heat up until the soup starts boiling. Turn down to a simmer and continue cooking until the lentils are soft and starting to break up. Approximately 25 minutes. If the soup gets too thick, add extra stock or water.
Blend the soup until very smooth. Stir in the lemon juice. See the note below, if you prefer to eat this as a chunky soup.
Serve in bowls. Store any unused soup in the fridge for up to a week. If you want to freeze the soup, put into serving size containers, and store in the freezer for up to six months.
ALTERNATIVES TO RED LENTILS
Split red lentils are easy to find at the supermarket. If you shop at an Indian supermarket, you can find other split pulses. I have also made this soup using Moong Dahl, which are split mung beans. They are yellow in colour, but otherwise act much the same way as red lentils when you cook them. Give them a try 🙂
CHUNKY vs BLENDED SOUP
I made this into a blended soup, because it meant I could be more relaxed about how I cut the vegetables, making it quicker and easier to prepare. But you could also serve this as a chunky soup. Just make sure you cut up the onions, celery and carrot into a smaller, even dice.
Ingredients
Directions
Add the split red lentils to a bowl and cover with a generous amount of water. Swish them around, The water will go frothy. Tip the water away. Repeat this process until the water stops going frothy. Set bowl aside, after tipping away the last amount of water.
Add the wine (or vegetable stock) to a large stock pot. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Cook on high until the wine is boiling, then turn down to a simmer. Cook, stirring regularly, until the wine has evaporated, and the onions are translucent.
Add the cumin, curry powder, turmeric, black pepper and garic. Cook, stirring constantly, until the spices start to stick to the bottom of the pot. Make sure the spices don't burn.
Add the stock, lentils and tomatoes. Cover and turn the heat up until the soup starts boiling. Turn down to a simmer and continue cooking until the lentils are soft and starting to break up. Approximately 25 minutes. If the soup gets too thick, add extra stock or water.
Blend the soup until very smooth. Stir in the lemon juice. See the note below, if you prefer to eat this as a chunky soup.
Serve in bowls. Store any unused soup in the fridge for up to a week. If you want to freeze the soup, put into serving size containers, and store in the freezer for up to six months.
ALTERNATIVES TO RED LENTILS
Split red lentils are easy to find at the supermarket. If you shop at an Indian supermarket, you can find other split pulses. I have also made this soup using Moong Dahl, which are split mung beans. They are yellow in colour, but otherwise act much the same way as red lentils when you cook them. Give them a try 🙂
CHUNKY vs BLENDED SOUP
I made this into a blended soup, because it meant I could be more relaxed about how I cut the vegetables, making it quicker and easier to prepare. But you could also serve this as a chunky soup. Just make sure you cut up the onions, celery and carrot into a smaller, even dice.
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