Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Mint

Delicious for the soul and good for the tummy.. Not a single lunch in Turkey, and in some places even breakfast, is complete without lentil soup (also known as merdzhimek-chorbasy). Its main ingredients are water, red lentils and pepper, usually also red. There are many variations with this accord: the soup is supplemented with tomato paste, onions, carrots, garlic, dried mint, and some with potatoes, and the taste is softened with milk or cream
cook time: 30 min
Ethan Rowley
Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Mint

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

191
Calories
10g
Fat
18g
Carbs
6g
Protein

Ingredients (4 portions)

Basic:

Salt (salt is a spice, a universal catalyst of taste that cannot be neglected and cannot be carried away. in professional kitchens several types of salt are used at once) 10 g
Ground black pepper (black pepper, like black tea, is not a color at birth, but a product of human effort: the green fruits are soaked and then dried) 1 tsp
Wheat flour (the most universal flour made from locally produced flour, that is, suitable for bread, pancakes and other baked goods, as well as for breading, is called “nastyusha”) 30 g
Butter (Butter is the most accessible flavor enhancer. There are many tricks for handling butter in the kitchen. but there are two main ones) 15 g
Carrot (Until the 17th century, carrots in Europe were mostly white or slightly yellowish; in Flemish still lifes they look exactly like this) 1 pc
Bulb onions (onions, which are also called Spanish or yellow, are usually quite pungent, with a long, sticky smell, so many people prefer not to use them raw) 1 pc
Lemons (even a teaspoon of lemon juice can transform any dish — be it a salad dressing or a plate of lentil soup) 1.2 pc
Mint (Due to the menthol substance, mint adds a feeling of freshness and coolness even to hot dishes, which is why it is so good to add to roast meat, especially lamb) to taste
Sunflower oil (Cold-pressed sunflower oil has a distinct seed aroma that varies in degree of roasted aroma.) 30 ml
Heavy cream (33% Cream is an intermediate stage between milk and butter and the most important thing for cooking. especially heavy cream that does not curdle when heated) 50 ml
Red lentils (Soups are most often made from red lentils — they boil in just ten to fifteen minutes. good red football lentils from Turkey.) 150 g

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
Pour a liter of water or pre-prepared broth into a small saucepan and add the washed lentils. There is no need to soak it, because it boils quite quickly. Place the pan over medium heat.

Step 2

Step 2
Grate a small carrot on a coarse grater, finely chop the onion: you will need a small onion. As soon as the lentils begin to boil, you need to reduce the heat, carefully remove the resulting foam using a spoon or slotted spoon, and then add another 200 ml of water or broth. Cook for another ten minutes.

Step 3

Step 3
Heat a wide flat frying pan, pour sunflower oil into it and add the diced butter to it. Add the onion, fry for one or two minutes until golden, add the carrots and fry, stirring and tossing lightly, for another three to four minutes until the vegetables have softened. Add flour and continue to fry, stirring, for another three minutes.

Step 4

Step 4
Carefully transfer the mixture from the frying pan to the pan and stir. Salt and pepper. If you want a real Turkish taste, you can add more pepper, but a teaspoon will be more than enough. Remove the pan from the stove. Add the cream and gently blend the soup with a hand blender until it forms a thick puree.

Step 5

Step 5
Pour the soup into bowls, hang a slice of lemon on the edges and add a sprig of mint or parsley. You can also add breadsticks. At the end, decorate the soup with a tablespoon of cream.