One of my favourite soups here in Turkey is Red Lentil Soup. Of course it\’s not the same as lentil soup back home. Here is my version of Turkish Red Lentil Soup.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Rating: 4.33 stars – based on 3 reviews
Ingredients:
- Red Lentils washed – 2 cups
- Large Onion – 1
- Carrot – 1
- Tomato Paste – 1 dessert spoon
- Cumin – 1 teaspoon
- Praprika – 1 teaspoon
- Red Pepper Flakes – 1/2 teaspoon
- Beef Stock or Veg Stock Cube – 1
- Mint dried – 1 to 2 teaspoons
- Thyme Kekik – 1 to 2 teaspoons
- Salt and Pepper – Season for Taste
- Water – 1 to 1/2 litres
- Olive Oil or your preferred oil – 1 desert spoon
Instructions:
Heat your Oil in your pot. Then add your chopped Onion and Carrot to the oil and cook until soft.
Add in the Cumin, Paprika and Red pepper flakes, mix into your onion and carrot mix. Then add in your red lentils and mix together. Allow lentils to heat for a couple of minutes.
Add in your stock cube.
Pour your water over your mixture. Then add in your tomato paste and mix through. Allow your soup to come to the boil allow to boil for 3 to 5 minutes then reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 30 mins or until your lentils have turned to a pulp (mushy).
You can leave your lentils mushy but I like to whizz my lentils with a blender till the soup is smooth. Then add in your mint and thyme (you can use oregano if you prefer). Then season to taste.
Serve with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and mint on top with some nice crusty bread.
I often add in more mint and thyme once I’ve tasted the soup. You will get to know how you like it to taste.
I don’t add in a lot of red pepper flakes but if you like it hot then you can add more, I prefer to offer some flakes with the soup for those who like a bit more heat.
You can also serve it with a wedge of lemon which is popular to do here.
I hope you like my soup recipe and I look forward to trying your red lentil soup recipe. Please let me know if you try the recipe.
© 2012 – 2015, Kerry Arslan. All rights reserved.
4 Responses to “Turkish Red Lentil Soup | Kırmızı Mercimek Çorbası”
21st September 2012
Turkey's For LifeRed lentil soup is my favourite, too. It’s a bit of a winter staple in our house and like you, we have to add the red pepper flakes to the top. The hotter the better. 😉
Julia
4th February 2017
JessThank you for sharing this recipe.
My son is in the toddler picky eating phase and loves lentil soup. Can’t wait to try this version!
22nd March 2017
ChristinaHow many servings does the soup make?
25th September 2018
tommy bonesMaking this but with lots more cumin, paprika and tomatopaste.. But taste like heaven 🙂