Turkish-Australian Lentil Soup
A velvety red lentil soup infused with cumin and finished with sizzling dried mint butter, perfect for chilly Canberra evenings.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 340 kcal
Equipment
- •large saucepan
- •stick blender
- •small frypan
- •wooden spoon
- •fine mesh sieve
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- fat
- 12 g
- carbs
- 44 g
- fibre
- 10 g
- protein
- 16 g
- calories
- 340 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- 2
Add the chopped onion, carrot, and potato, cooking for five minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
- 3
Stir in the minced garlic, tomato paste, and ground cumin, cooking for one minute until fragrant.
- 4
Add the rinsed red lentils and pour in the vegetable stock.
- 5
Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
- 6
Cover with a lid and simmer for twenty-five minutes until the lentils and potato are completely tender.
- 7
Puree the soup with a stick blender until smooth and silky, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- 8
Melt the butter in a small frypan over medium heat until it begins to foam.
- 9
Stir the dried mint and pul biber into the hot butter for thirty seconds until aromatic, then remove from heat.
- 10
Ladle the soup into warm bowls, drizzle over the sizzling herb butter, and serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges.
Chef's tips
Rinse the red split lentils in a fine sieve until the water runs clear to keep the soup's flavour clean and bright. If the soup thickens too much as it sits, simply stir through a splash of hot water before serving. Fresh lemon juice squeezed over at the table is essential to cut through the richness of the butter.
Ingredient substitutions
- salted butter → extra-virgin olive oil to make the recipe completely vegan
- pul biber → sweet paprika combined with a pinch of mild chilli powder
- floury potato → an extra small carrot or half a cup of diced pumpkin
Storage
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days or freeze for up to three months.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring in a splash of water if the soup has thickened.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Burning the dried mint and pepper flakes by leaving them in boiling butter for too long.
- •Skipping the potato or carrot, which gives the blended soup its velvety body without adding cream.
- •Forgetting to serve with fresh lemon wedges, which provides crucial balancing acidity.
Serving suggestions
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