Red Lentil Soup
Here’s a recipe for a delicious and nourishing North African/Mediterranean style vegetable soup that’s easy to make. The recipe serves four people.
Stock Ingredients
1 cup red lentils
5 cups water
1 quill cinnamon
2 carrots
1/4 tsp loosely measured saffron threads
The Intriguing Seasonings
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp sumac
A sprinkle of asafoetida
1 tsp earth or sea salt
1 tsp sesame seeds
Seven Easy Steps
- Inspect the lentils for small stones, inferior ones, etc. and remove.
- Soak for several hours.
- Bring the lentils and water to boil and if foam arises, drain, rinse and
change with another 4 cups of fresh boiling water. Or skim off all the foam
and continue cooking in the same liquid. Simmer for 45 minutes with the
cinnamon. Add the carrots, sliced, and cook 15 minutes more. - Meanwhile scoop out 1/4 cup soup and float saffron on top. Swirl
occasionally to develop color, aroma, taste and attributes. - Warm the ghee in a small skillet over low heat. Sprinkle in the paprika,
turmeric, ginger, sumac, asafoetida and swirl. Heat for one minute and let
cool. If cinnamon quills are unavailable add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. - When the lentils are well cooked, mash if desired, adding the saffron
water, salt and skillet mix. Heat another 5 minutes while dry-roasting the
sesame seeds over medium low heat. - Ladle soup into bowls with a small squeeze of lemon if no sumac powder is
available and garnish with the seeds.
Enjoy
Reproduced with permission from Sattwa Cafe: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Enhance your Health and Well-Being based on the Traditional Healing Science of Ayurveda, by Meta B. Doherty, Lotus Press, a division of Lotus Brands, Inc., PO Box 325, Twin Lakes, WI 53181, USA,
©2007 All Rights Reserved.
Categories: Recipes