Red Lentil and Rice soup
October 14, 2009 • Category: Soups
I tasted that soup for the first time ever in Beirut one year. It was made by Asma, a wonderful Kurdish lady who used to cook for my parents a couple times a week ; her soup was so soothing, so pure, so comforting. She only used three ingredients: red lentils, rice and broth.
Red lentil soup is so simple to make, it can be prepared on Friday night in anticipation of a lazy weekend. It can be either reduced to its essence, with just a sprinkle of rice, or doctored up with a number of spices. Whatever suits your fancy, that day.
INGREDIENTS: This quantity will yield 6 servings
- 2 cups of red lentils
- 1/4 cup of medium-grain rice ( Turkish or Egyptian or Sushi)
- 6 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- salt, pepper to taste
- seasoning of your choice: 2 teaspoon of ground cumin, a couple of lime leaves, a pinch of oregano, a teaspoon of red pepper flakes
METHOD:
- Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large pot
- Fry the chopped onions until golden
- Pour the broth and the lentils and all the seasoning minus the salt
- When the lentils are soft and have turned mushy, you can cool them a bit and then puree the mixture in a blender, although that step is optional
- Pour the lentils back in the pot and add the rice
- Return to a boil and lower the heat. Simmer gently until the rice is cooked
- Adjust seasonings and serve hot.
Comments
16 Comments • Comments Feed
Laila says:
Looks absolutely delicious .. and very comforting …
Laila .. http://lailablogs.com/
On October 15, 2009 at 5:18 am
Joumana says:
Thanks Laila! That’s what I like about it! The comfort factor!
On October 15, 2009 at 7:26 am
vincent says:
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On October 15, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Joumana says:
Sure thing. Thanks!
On October 15, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Sophie says:
A beautiful soup this is!! I love red lentils!!!
On October 15, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Joumana says:
Merci Sophie!
On October 15, 2009 at 6:10 pm
pierre says:
hello Joumana,
I love lentils …!
If you like French creative cuisine come and see my blog you are very welcome and the last recipe is in english ! see you then !!
Cheers Pierre
On October 16, 2009 at 8:22 am
Joumana says:
Pierre
Your blog is fantastic and I am so impressed!
On October 16, 2009 at 9:45 am
PJ says:
Hi,First time to your blog.Was browsing ur vegetarian section and loved the recipes.Will try this soup for sure!
On January 27, 2010 at 1:33 am
Andrea from Ottawa says:
Hi,
I had my mom in law over a while ago, she’s Kurdish, and I forgot how she made her lentil soup, so I went on the net trying to find a recipe and nothing came close except this! I didn’t brown the onions, i sauteed them until transparent. Also, I made it with water, not with broth (that’s how the mom in law made it) and I used brown rice, which meant I had to boil it a lot longer for the rice to soften.
It turned out reallly great! We ate it with a squeeze of lemon. Thanks for posting this. I will be checking out your other recipes 🙂
On September 1, 2010 at 8:00 pm
samir says:
..we always have lemon slices on the side for those who wish to squeeze fresh lemon onto this soup
On September 8, 2010 at 7:35 pm
samir says:
sorry I meant lemon wedges on side, not slices
On September 8, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Lara says:
Coucou , j.espere que vous allez bien 🙂 chez moi il pleut depuis un mois , non stop,alors ce soir j’ ai rien trouve de mieux qu’une soupe qui porte l’odeur de l’enfance et des grand parents … Vos recettes sont toujours a l’origine d’un bon repas en famille , quoi de mieux ? Bonne soiree et a bientot
On February 15, 2016 at 3:27 pm
Joumana says:
@Lara: Merci beaucoup Lara, et pareillement! 🙂
On February 15, 2016 at 7:44 pm
Kristof Balling says:
Can I add canned tomatoes?
On January 25, 2019 at 9:37 pm
Joumana says:
Sure, why not? Tomatoes go well with it.
On January 25, 2019 at 9:46 pm