Ramsay's Spicy Lentil Soup

mushypeas's Note:

this recipe is from gordon ramsay's 'Healthy Appetite' and I've had to pass it round my family it's so good. This is a veggie recipe but meat eaters love it! please keep an eye on it as the amount of water it needs depends on the type and age of the lentils.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 275 g red lentils , rinsed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 800 ml stock

Directions:

1. Fry the onion and garlic until golden.
2. Stir in the spices and tomato puree and fry for two minutes.
3. Add lentils and stock.
4. Simmer for 25 - 30 mins, or until cooked.
5. Puree a little bit if you want.

Reviews

[AsperGirl]

I'm giving this a 3 star rating because the recipe as posted is incomplete. The poster left off the garnishes, which add a whole dimension of texture and flavor to the soup, elevating it to a gastronomically interesting experience. Since becoming a fan of Gordon Ramsay's cooking a few months, I've seen so many incomplete and mistaken reposts of his recipes... it's kind of bizarre! I highly recommend getting his book, "Healthy Appetite", and not relying on online reposts of his recipes.

What is missing from this recipe as posted is a mixture of nigella seeds (also misleadingly called onion seeds), and mustard seeds, both toasted until they start to pop and then added to the soup. They add a cool new dimension of texture and flavor to the creamy texture and bouquet of the soup. Also, you add yogurt (I use kefir) as a garnish, along with fresh cilantro.

Without the missing parts that I described, the recipe as posted is quite ordinary and uninteresting.