This summer I visited Cappadocia region in Turkey and apart from the hot air balloon ride, the highlight of the trip was a Turkish cooking class with Fatma Cingitas in the town of Goreme. It seems that cooking is a universal language and a great cultural facilitation tool. This soup is low in calories, high in fiber and rich in iron!
Turkish Lentil Soup
Print RecipeIngredients
- 100 ml of sunflower oil
- 1 onion (diced)
- 1/2 of small potato (grated)
- 1 teaspoon of tomato concentrated paste
- 1 teaspoon of dried mint
- 1 teaspoon of dried chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cube of chicken/beef/vegetable stock
- 1 cup of red lentils
- 5 cups of hot water
Instructions
Add the oil to a pot over a medium flame
Add half the chopped onion and saute.
Once the onion is soft and translucent add the rest of the onion, the potato, tomato paste, mint, chili flakes, salt and mix all for about 1 minute.
Rinse the lentils and add them to the pot, mixing all the ingredients for about 1 more minute.
Pour in the water and stir.
Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Once the lentils are soft, take off the heat and blitz in a blender until smooth.
Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.
Serve with light dust of dried mint, chili flakes and a dash of lemon.
