Egyptian Red Lentil Soup

the80srule's Note:

This soup is considered to be a tradition for breaking the Ramadan fast in Egypt and is a traditional "Middle Eastern peace recipe". I got this from a Middle Eastern living blog and decided to share it since I was looking for red lentil recipes. Red lentils can be found in Indian and Middle Eastern grocery stores. This awesome soup is vegan and quite healthy.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 3

Yield: 3.0 serving ...

• 1 small onion , finely chopped
• 1 cup red lentil
• 3 ¾ cups vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash pepper
• ¾ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 dash cayenne
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• olive oil , to drizzle

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, put the onion, lentils, veggie stock, the salt and pepper, and simmer about 30 minutes or until the lentils have really softened and somewhat disintegrated.
2. Add some water if the soup needs thinning.
3. Stir in cumin, turmeric, cilantro, cayenne, and lemon juice.
4. Drizzle some olive oil on to your liking and serve with toasted pita triangles.

Reviews

[live to cook]

Absolutely terrific and simple to make!

I'll probably use a bit less salt next time as it's so full of flavour anwyay.

Really good recipe, thanks for sharing.

[Cilantro in Canada]

This is an excellent tasting soup and requires very little effort. I reduced the cumin for personal tastes and did not add the olive oil at serving time. Thanks for the recipe.

[magpie diner]

Fantastic! The batch didn't last, it was all enjoyed within minutes. Such a simple recipe, don't be fooled, it's very tasty. As the others did I threw the onion & spices in a little oil and sauteed before adding everything else in. We're big lentil fans here, and my children really enjoyed this soup. It definitely makes just enough for 3 people, or two hearty portions. The only ingredient change I made was that I added a few cloves of minced garlic in. Thanks 80's! Made for Veg*n swap Apr10.