Red Lentil Soup

Name: Red Lentil Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: Serves: 6 to 8
Cuisine: Iranian
Ingredients: 2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated; 2 tablespoons rice flour dissolved in 1 cup/240 ml water; 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds; 1 teaspoon mustard seeds; 2 cups/400 g red lentils; ¼ cup/60 ml oil or ghee; 1 tablespoon cumin seeds; 2 cups/400 g peeled tomato puree (about 2 large tomatoes), or canned peeled tomatoes; 1 green bird’s eye chili, finely chopped or ½ teaspoon cayenne; 1 in/2.5 cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated; 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper; ½ fresh lime; 1 cup/85 g chopped fresh cilantro; 1 teaspoon turmeric; 2 teaspoons fine sea salt; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

dal

Preparation info

Serves:
6 to 8

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
1 hr 50

Appears in

Cooking in Iran

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2020

About

This soup shows the influence of Indian cooking on the cuisine of the region—red lentils are flavored with hot spices. It is an excellent vegan soup that, being thick, can also be served over plain rice to make a complete meal. I adapted this recipe from one by Dowlat Khoshkhabar in Bushehr.

Ingredients

lentils

2 cups/400 g red lentils

Asia
Iran
Bushehr
Vegetarian
Soup
Gluten-free

Method

For the lentils: Place the lentils in a container, cover with water, agitate with your hands, and pour off the water. Repeat 3 or 4 times until the water is clear. Drain in a sieve and set aside.
For the soup: Heat the oil in a medium-sized enameled cast-iron pot over low heat. Add all the seeds and sauté for 1 minute or until the seeds stop cracklin