No.134 Turkish Lentil Soup

Of the few staples of my kitchen lentil soups are always a firm favourite. The Turks have their own version and it is a perfectly simple. The main difference form our western versions is the customisation. You can add citrus with lemon juice, fiery pul biber pepper flakes, sour sumac or mint. I prefer lots of pul biber and some lemon.

Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Difficulty: Straight forward

300g Red Lentils

1000ml of Lamb Stock

1 Onion

1 Medium Potato

4 Cloves of Garlic

1 teaspoon of Cumin Seeds

3 tablespoons of Butter

2 tablespoons of Tomato Puree (optional)

To accompany: Mint Leaves, Pul Biber, Sumac, Lemon Juice

1. Wash the lentils until the water runs clear and set aside.

2. Dice the onion and the potato. Add the the soup pot with the butter and sweat for a few minutes. Meanwhile crush the garlic and add to the pot with the cumin seeds. Sweat for another minute.

3. Add the stock followed by the lentils. Add the tomato puree if you prefer a richer lentil soup. Simmer till the lentils have softened.

4. Either serve as is or blend with a hand blender till smooth. Salt to taste.

5. Serve and let everyone added their preferred accompaniments.