How to make Lentil Soup from scratch

AuthorLauren MelaneyCategorySoupDifficultyIntermediate

When the first autumn cold comes, it is time to prepare a warming homemade lentil soup. Depending on the mood, the soup is cooked according to different recipes – with or without meat, but always from red lentils and with the addition of dry, hot pepper of coarse grinding.

Lentils are an amazing legume plant, known since the deepest antiquity, since the time when people processed stones instead of metal. Lentils feel great in arid climates and are still one of the most valuable food products, especially in Asia, the Middle East.

Lentils are an important source of protein, even partially replacing meat, which is important for vegetarians and people who do not eat meat for various reasons. The soup is prepared according to various recipes around the world. Very often, lentils in soups are combined with other available cereals – rice, bulgur, millet, etc. In Turkey, a very colorful thick soup of lentils “ezogelin”, is prepared on a rich meat broth of red lentils, bulgur cereals, fried onions and garlic with various seasonings.

It is noteworthy that vegetarian lentil soup is a very “budget” dish and among other things, it is prepared extremely simply, although for a long time. The soup is very nutritious, like most soups made from boiled cereals — for example, soup with white beans. The technology of cooking lentil soup is similar to the preparation of ordinary pea soup.

The Ingredients

• Red lentils
• Olive oil
• Onion
• Garlic
• Celery stalked
• Tomatoes
• Herbs (parsley, mint, basil)
• Sour milk or sour cream or cheese
• Spices

How to cook lentils

Red lentils, as they say, do not require pre-soaking. But, it all depends on which variety is used to make lentil soup. In any case, it is better to wash the lentils and soak them in warm water for several hours. First of all, it won’t hurt. Secondly, the boiled grain will be better. And, thirdly, everything superfluous will be washed with water.

The time of complete boiling of lentils, depending on the variety is from 15 minutes to 1 hour. In any case, it is worth focusing on the readiness of grains, by trying it. It should be noted that the first dish will be the tastier – the better the lentils are cooked and the more homogeneous they are chopped.

The Directions

1. To make soup, it is necessary to pre-fry the vegetables. In a stewpot, or directly in a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Peel a large onion and finely chop it. Fry the chopped onion in olive oil until a pleasant golden hue, avoiding browning.
2. Add finely chopped garlic and chopped medium-sized celery stalks to the onion, along with leaves and 1-2 bay leaves. Add a pinch of salt, a pinch of cumin and 2-3 peas of black pepper, ground in a mortar. Simmer for 5 minutes under the lid on low heat.
3. Treat tomatoes with boiling water and pour cold water over them. Peel the tomatoes from the skin and seeds, and chop the pulp very finely with a knife. Add the tomato pulp to a saucepan and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
4. Pour 2 pt of cold water into a saucepan and cover the soaked red lentils. As soon as the water boils, add all the vegetables stewed in a saucepan. Bring the soup to a boil and turn down the heat.
5. Next, depending on the variety of lentils, cook until the grains are completely boiled. The cooking time of lentils can be quite long. It is not necessary to force the process by increasing the fire. It is worth stirring the soup periodically since lentils tend to settle in the soup and stick to the bottom of the pan.
6. As soon as the lentils are completely cooked and begin to boil to the state of porridge, drain the liquid into a cup, through away the bay leaf, and all the cooked ingredients must be finely cut. This can be done in any available way. The simplest of them is to grind all the ingredients with a blender until smooth consistency.
7. Pour the chopped lentil puree back into the pan and put it on low heat. The soup should be thick. If you like the soup more liquid, you can dilute the puree with the liquid that remains. In addition, if the lentils are well cooked, you may not chop the ingredients, leaving them as they are. At your discretion.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste in lentil soup, add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Cook the soup at a low boil for 4-5 minutes.
9. Warm up the plates or soup cups, pour the soup. Sprinkle the soup with finely chopped herbs. Actually, parsley is quite enough, but the soup will get a special taste if you add a little basil and mint. By the way, if you don’t have fresh green herbs, it is possible to use dry ones, adding them at the stage of chopping cooked vegetables.
10. Serve the first dish hot, adding 1 tablespoon of sour milk or sour cream or grate cheese ( we suggest using parmesan), and sprinkling with a pinch coarsely ground hot dry pepper.

Recipe Notes and Variations

There are a lot of variations of this amazing soup! Everything depends on the taste and ingredients you want to use. You can cook:

• Lentil soup with meat and potatoes
• Chicken soup with lentils and vegetables
• Lentil soup with vegetables and tomato paste
• Lentil cream soup with croutons
• Turkish lentil cream soup

Notes:

• There are three varieties of lentils: red, green and Arabic (orange) and in different degrees of processing: polished and unpolished. Unpolished lentils cook for 40 minutes and keep their shape when cooked, and polished lentils cook for 20 minutes and completely boil, turning into a puree. Each variety, depending on the processing, has its own characteristics.
• We do not advise salting water, otherwise, you will have to cook lentils longer. It is best to add salt at the very end, but a tablespoon of fragrant olive oil can be poured in at the very beginning. The taste of lentils will then become softer and more tender.
• We still recommend pre-soaking lentils, even for a short time.

In a humid environment, the grains seem to be preparing for germination and reveal all the useful properties. In addition, such lentils are better absorbed by the body and do not overload the gastrointestinal tract. It is better to soak in warm water for 3-12 hours, after which the water should be drained and the grains washed.

What Goes Well with Lentil Soup?

• Bread or croutons will be great to serve with a lentil soup.
• Salads or vegetables also would be a perfect addition.

Tools Used to Make Instant Pot Lentil Soup

• You can use a slow cooker if you don’t want to use a saucepan or stewpot.
• To grate cheese, you would need a cheese grater.

Instructions

• • Pre-fry the vegetables. Add onion.
  • Add garlic and celery stalks, 1-2 bay leaves. Add salt, cumin, black pepper, Simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add the tomato pulp to a saucepan and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  • Pour 2 pt of cold water into a saucepan and cover the soaked red lentils.
  • Cook until the grains are completely boiled.
  • As soon as the lentils are completely cooked and. grind all the ingredients with a blender until smooth consistency.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Cook the soup at a low boil for 4-5 minutes.
  • Sprinkle the soup with finely chopped herbs.
  • Add sour milk or sour cream or grate cheese, hot dry pepper.
  • Serve the soup!