Turkish Red Lentil Soup

drprerna26September 9, 2021

Soups are fantastic appetizers or meals by themselves when served with salad or toasted bread. This Turkish red lentil soup, also know as ‘Mercimek Corbasi‘ is one of the most popular soups in Turkish Cuisine. It is quick, smooth and nutritious. Vegan and gluten free, this soup is easy to make in under 30 minutes. It is lightly spiced and best served with lemon wedges and fresh mint leaves.

Unlike green or brown lentils, red lentils are very fast to cook and they transform into a creamy texture when blended. There is no need to soak the red lentils either!! Also, you can adjust the consistency of soup according to your taste, blend more for silky, smooth consistency or less for a chunkier texture.

Red lentils are packed with lots of health benefits:

Red lentils contain high level of protein and minerals.
They are also rich in dietary fibre, Folate, vitamin B1 and all with virtually no fat.
Good for diabetics as it regulates the random spikes and drops in the glucose level in the blood.
It is a good source of potassium and iron.

Cuisine : Turkish Course: Starter/Appetizer Serves: 4-5 (if served as starter)

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium sized onions chopped finely
3 garlic cloves chopped
1 medium sized carrot diced
1 cup red lentils washed
1 teaspoon paprika ( Paprika is made by grinding dried red bell peppers, it adds flavor and colour to the dish)
1 /2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp dried mint
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you want it more spicy)
1/4 cup tomato paste or puree
5 cups water
1 vegetable stock cube
Salt according to taste
1/4 tsp sumac – optional. Lemon juice can be used instead. (Sumac is a tangy, lemony spice often used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking. It is made from dried berries. Easily available in grocery stores)

For garnishing: a few mint leaves or sumac To serve: Lemon wedges and bread of your choice.

Method:

In a pressure cooker, heat oil over medium-high heat, add onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add garlic and fry until garlic starts to get a little golden on edges, then add the carrot.
Stir in paprika, cumin powder and hot pepper flakes.
Add tomato paste after 1 minute.
Next, add the lentils and stir everything together so the tomato paste and spices combine with lentils.
Crumble stock cube in it with your hand or dissolve the cube in 1/2 cup of warm water and add to the lentil spice mixture.
Add salt , be careful as stock cube contains salt as well.
Add 5 cups of water and pressure cook it for 2 whistles.
Open the cooker when all the steam is released and use a hand blender to blend the soup to a smooth consistency ( or to a desired consistency)
Put it back on medium high heat, add mint leaves and lime juice/sumac and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Taste for seasonings and add salt or lime juice if necessary .
Remove from heat and sprinkle some sumac on it.
You can sprinkle some red chilli flakes and sunflower seeds on it as well !
Serve with lemon wedges and fresh mint leaves.
Enjoy with crusty sour dough bread!

Please let me know in comments if you try the recipe or if you have any questions ! I would love to answer them!!

P.S : This recipe was originally published in 2019 ! I updated the pictures today as the previous pictures were not good! The recipe remains the same .