Red Lentil Soup
Lentils come in a range of colours and sizes, and each has its own characteristics and applications. Red Lentils are great for soups and stews. They have less starch than yellow and are creamy when cooked down. They are not the lentils you would choose for a salad. That’s best left to the green and black ones.
Red Lentil Soup
Our soup looks more golden yellow because of the spices compared to a red color. Unlike beans, lentils do not need to be soaked and cook very quickly. Although we definitely recommend you serve this soup the next day, warmed, it is delicious the day it is made………… but the flavours will come together and taste better if left to rest refrigerated for 24 hours.
Ingredients
- ½ TBSP butter
- ½ TBSP olive oil
- 1 cup (192 gr) red lentils
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/3 cup (50 gr) grape tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 TBSP (20 gr) shallot, finely chopped
- ½ TBSP (8 gr) ginger, grated
- 1/3 cup (50 gr) carrot, diced
- ¼ tsp. garlic minced
- ½ tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. ground coriander
- ½ tsp. turmeric
- ¼ tsp. chili powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- Lemon slices to garnish
- Parsley to garnish
- Garnish with Greek Yogurt if desired
Instructions
- Heat butter and oil in a medium saucepan. Then add shallots, garlic, and ginger. Cook about 2 -3 minutes without browning.
- Next add chopped tomatoes, cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Sauté 2 – 3 minutes until fragrant, but not browned.
- Add stock, carrots, and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
- Puree half of the soup in a blender, and leave the other half as is.
- Soup is delicious served warm with a dollop (1 TBSP) of plain yogurt per serving; but if you have the time, cool, and then refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Serve with lemon slices or spritz half a lemon into the warm soup prior to serving.
Notes
This soup was a perfect match for a Rose Cinsault. Cinsault grapes from the Rhone Valley are perfect blending grapes. So, you can find them in Roses, white wines like Viogniers, and a red wine like a Grenache.
We’ve paired:
- Le Paradou Accent & Nuances Cinsault 2020 – The Rose pairs beautifully with rich stews (or soups like this one). ($20.00)