Turkish red lentil soup
Mercimek çorbası: silky, lemony lentil soup with chilli butter. Costs pennies.
Cost at UK average prices for what the recipe uses. Your shop's live price is shown when you tap through from your list.
Ingredients
- Red split lentils300 g
- Brown onions150 g
- Carrots200 g
- White potatoes200 g
- Vegetable stock cubes2 cubes
- Lemons1 lemon
- Sliced wholemeal bread400 g
- Butter20 g
Also uses from the cupboard: vegetable oil, table salt, ground black pepper, ground cumin, chilli flakes. Missing any? You can add them to your shop on the shopping list.
Usually contains: Celery, Gluten, Milk.
Always check the label. Products vary by shop and brand, so check what you actually buy for allergens and anything else you avoid.
Estimated from typical ingredient values, including a teaspoon of oil. Children's portions are smaller.
Method
- Blender or stick blenderFind one on Amazon
- Chop the onion and carrot. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan over a medium heat and cook them for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in a teaspoon of cumin.150 g brown onions200 g carrots
- Rinse the lentils. Peel and chop the potato. Add both to the pan, crumble in the stock cubes and pour in 1.4 litres of boiling water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 25 minutes until everything is completely soft.300 g red split lentils200 g white potatoes2 cubes
- Blend until smooth, then stir in the juice of half the lemon and season with salt and pepper. Add more lemon to taste.1 lemon
- Melt the butter in a small pan with a pinch of chilli flakes until it foams. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle the butter over and serve with the bread and the rest of the lemon cut into wedges.400 g sliced wholemeal bread20 g butter
The sizzling chilli butter on top is what makes it taste like a Turkish café. Do not skip it.
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