09 Dec Turkish Lentil Soup
This is a Turkish family recipe that my college friend Aisha used to make for me when I visited her at home. I love the zingy combination of the lemon and lentils and the addition of rice makes it a meal in itself.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (fat)
- 1 large onion – finely chopped (carb)
- 2 carrots – finely chopped (carb)
- 4 cloves garlic – finely sliced (carb)
- 200gm red lentils (carb)
- 100gm brown basmati rice (carb)
- 1 ½ litres vegetable stock
- 2 lemons (carb)
- Optional: add white fish or chicken (protein) to the dish to balance the meal
First heat the oil in a large pan and then add the onion and cook until soft (approx. 5 mins). Then add the garlic and carrot and cook for a couple of minutes more. While the vegetables are cooking, juice the lemons, saving the juice for later and add the rind of one lemon to the pot (discarding the other). Wash the lentils and rice in a sieve under running water before adding to the pan. Add the stock, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for30 mins until the lentils and rice are cooked. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice before serving.