Arabic Lentil Soup

Glorypea's Note:

This recipe was inspired by the lentil soup at this falafel place where I used to live. I have always had trouble finding lentil soup recipes that were more of this Middle Eastern type, so thought I'd share mine!

• Total Time: 2 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 cups brown lentils
• 2 quarts chicken stock (or your choice)
• 1 large onion , quartered
• 2 tablespoons garlic , chopped or sliced
• 1 medium tomato , quartered
• 2 tablespoons butter , less if desired
• 1 medium onion , sliced thinly
• 1 teaspoon cumin , to taste

Directions:

1. Wash lentils thoroughly and soak if desired.
2. I never soak them, and they always seem to cook up quickly.
3. Bring stock to a boil.
4. Add quartered onion, garlic, tomato and lentils.
5. Return to boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer, partially covered, until lentils are tender.
6. The amount of time will depend on the freshness of the lentils and whether or not they were soaked, but plan on an hour to an hour and a half.
7. Over-cooking wouldn't be a problem since this is a blended soup, but under-cooking would.
8. As lentils approach tenderness, melt butter in a small frying pan over medium-low heat.
9. Add thinly sliced onion and allow to fry until very dark brown.
10. Add cumin, saute briefly.
11. Add mixture to soup and stir through.
12. Ladle one ladle-full of soup at a time into a blender or food processor.
13. Using a dishtowel, hold lid down and process soup until homogenous.
14. When soup has been completely pureed, return to a pot and reheat until ready to serve.
15. Enjoy!

Reviews

[*Nabiha*]

This was a nice comfort food that didnt take much effort to make. I squeezed in some lemon juice just before serving...it went well with nice crusty bread. Thanks for posting!

[Umm Nia]

This recipe was REALLY good! I lived with a Palestinian woman for a while and LOVED when she would make this soup. I squeezed a whole lemon and then put the empty lemon in the soup while it simmered as well. ** ALSO: you should add the importance of cracking the lid on the blender a little as you blend the soup. As well as placing a towel over the lid for all of these things can prevent a heat explosion.

[Umm Abdarrahman]

The soup was quite delicious. I added 2tbsp of lemon while boiling it.It gave the soup an extra touch. Garnish it with parsley and olive oil drizzle over it. Goes well with crisp pita bread or soup sticks.