Bowl of Syrian Red Lentil Soup
(click to enlarge)

Syrian Red Lentil Soup


Syria   -   Shorbet Addas
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6 cups
**
1 hr
Yes		 An elegant soup course, but not complex enough to stand alone. You might want to make the soup more liquid than shown in the photo. It's vegetarian, unless you modify it. See Comments for serving suggestions.




1-3/4
6
4
1/2
1/2
1
5
1/2
1/4
3
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see
c
oz
cl
t
t
t
c
T
t
T
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Red Lentils (1)
Onions
Garlic
Cumin seed
Turmeric
Olive Oil
Stock, Syrian (2)  
Salt
Pepper
Lemon Juice
-- Serve with
Comments

The stock can be made even a few days ahead and refrigerated, making final production easy.

Do-Ahead   -   (1-1/4 hr - 15 min work)
  1. Make stock. It is important to use this Syrian Vegetable Stock.
Prep   -   (15 min)
  1. Dice ONIONS about 1/4 inch.
  2. Crush GARLIC and chop small.
  3. Grind Cumin.
  4. Squeeze Lemon Juice.
Run   -   (45 min)
  1. In a suitable coverable sauce pan, heat Olive Oil and fry Onions, stirring until translucent. Then stir in Garlic for another minute.
  2. Stir in Lentils, Cumin and Turmeric, then stir in Stock. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Stir often to avoid sticking, and add water if it gets too thick.
  3. Let cool a few minutes. Then scoop out 2/3 of the soup and run it in a blender or food processor until smooth (see Comments). Stir the purée back into the rest of the soup.
  4. Bring the Soup back to a simmer, stirring. Stir in Lemon Juice and season to taste with Salt and Pepper.
  5. Serve hot with Toasted Flatbread, or however you like.
NOTES:

  1. Lentils:

      These should be split and peeled red lentils, which are commonly available. Indian Masoor Dal would also work.

  2. Vegetable Stock:

      The Syrian stock used for this recipe is a little unusual, but works well - see our recipe for Syrian Vegetable Stock. Of course, if you don't care about the Vegetarian thing, you can make it with some chicken added.

  3. Comments:

     The pattern recipe puréed all of the soup, but I like more texture. You may feel free to purée all of it, none of it, or however you like. To prepare the traditional flatbread (if desired), brush it with Olive Oil and toast in a 350°F/175°C oven for a few minutes until crispy and brown. Thinly sliced Onion, sliced Radishes and Lemon Wedges may be served on the side if desired.
  4. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove ",in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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