Arabic Lentil Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Rinse lentils well.
• Saute onions, carrots, potatoes, & celery in large pot, Cook until veggies are soft and aromatic.
• Add water, chicken (or veg) stock, bay leaf, and lentils to veggies. Add vegetable soup if using. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 tsp cumin & rest of spices, stir in and taste, add more. I find the cumin flavor kind of disappears with long cooking so I usually add half in the beginning and half about 15-30 minutes before serving.
• Let cook on low for as long as you have time. Flavor of soup improves with longer cooking.
• Blend soup in blender or with immersion blender until texture is mostly smooth.
• Serve with freshly ground black pepper, croutons and wedges of lemon to squeeze over the soup (essential!).

Steps:

• Wash lentils thoroughly and soak if desired.
• I never soak them, and they always seem to cook up quickly.
• Bring stock to a boil.
• Add quartered onion, garlic, tomato and lentils.
• Return to boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer, partially covered, until lentils are tender.
• The amount of time will depend on the freshness of the lentils and whether or not they were soaked, but plan on an hour to an hour and a half.
• Over-cooking wouldn't be a problem since this is a blended soup, but under-cooking would.
• As lentils approach tenderness, melt butter in a small frying pan over medium-low heat.
• Add thinly sliced onion and allow to fry until very dark brown.
• Add cumin, saute briefly.
• Add mixture to soup and stir through.
• Ladle one ladle-full of soup at a time into a blender or food processor.
• Using a dishtowel, hold lid down and process soup until homogenous.
• When soup has been completely pureed, return to a pot and reheat until ready to serve.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Wash and drain lentils.
• In a large pot, combine all ingredients.
• Bring to a boil, then let simmer on medium/low for about 35 minutes.
• Make sure to stir occasionally to avoid the lentils burn or sticking to the pot.
• Serve in with lemon wedges, on side.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion, celery, and carrots until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add water, lentils, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, salt, coriander, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; stir to incorporate. Cover and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 hours.
• Whisk butter and flour together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; stir constantly until thickened and paste-like, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, until light brown, about 20 more minutes. Whisk flour paste into finished soup, a spoonful at a time, until smooth and creamy. Serve with lemon wedges, 2 tablespoons parsley, and a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a pan and gently fry the chopped onions for 5 minutes.
• Add the chopped garlic, turmeric and cumin and continue cooking for a few minutes more.
• Stir in the lentils, add the stock and cook for 35 minutes. Stir several times during cooking, especially towards the end, to prevent lentils from sticking to base of pan.
• Toss in parsley, stir in lemon juice and leave to cook for 2-3 minutes more.
• No blending is necessary unless you want it really smooth.
• Serve with chunks of crusty bread.

Steps:

• In a large pot or pressure cooker, saute chopped onions in vegetable oil until soft.
• Rinse dried lentils several times.
• Add lentils, water, salt and pepper to the pot.
• Bring to boil and simmer for an hour or more until lentils turn yellow in color and are soft and dissolving in broth.
• If using a pressure cooker, cook for 15 minutes after pressure has risen. Release pressure before removing lid.
• Whisk lentils to make a smooth soup, or stir to blend for a more textured soup.

Steps:

• Sautee onions in the olive oil or butter until soft and translucent.
• Add the stock, lentils, and rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover partially.
• When lentils are broken down and rice is almost cooked (about 10 minutes), add the Arabic seven spice, cumin, salt, pepper, and Aleppo pepper, if using it.
• Simmer soup for another 15-20 minutes.
• Turn off heat and then add the lemon juice.
• NOTE: Add more stock or water to thin it out if it becomes too thick. At the correct consistency, you should be able to pour the soup into bowls.
• Serve with crusty bread and additional lemon wedges.