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Lentil Soup - Your Variations

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sojourner

Where's me readers?
Inspired by my experiment last night, this is a thread asking for your interesting and original variations on the winter favourite, lentil soup.

I usually do one of two - thyme/parsley/mushroom ketchup to flavour it (with added carrots), or cumin/coriander/lemon juice.

Last night, I used allspice, a pinch of chilli powder, and the juice of one lime. Was amazing, with thanks to BoatieBird for her knowledge of the spice itself :cool::thumbs:

Over to you chaps!

(I am considering spinach and coconut for the next one, and also have some fenugreek that I'm not using)
 
It's not exactly a soup, but one of my standby quick dinners/take-to-work lunches is a sort of dhal, with garam masala, a bit of cumin, chilli, onion, carrot and cubed potato.

I'm going to try that allspice/chilli/lime one, though: sounds really good. :cool:
 
Red Lentil Soup with Allspice

2 onions
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1.5 litre vegetable stock
350g red lentils (the non-soak variety)
1.5 to 2 tsp allspice
Half tsp chilli powder
2 tsp dried coriander leaf
Salt and black pepper
Juice of one lime

Rinse lentils in warm water until water is mostly clear. Drain.
Fry finely chopped onion until soft, add chopped garlic, fry for another couple of minutes.
Add allspice and chilli powder, stir well for one minute.
Add stock, and stir.
Add lentils and stir.
Add pinch of salt and good grind of pepper, and coriander leaf.
Bring to boil, stir, simmer for approx 40 mins, stirring occasionally to stop lentils sticking to pan, and to make them melty and break up.
Add lime juice a couple of minutes before serving.
You can whizz it if you like, but I like it with bits in :)
 
Carrot and Red Lentil Soup

3 carrots
1 large onion
Couple of garlic cloves
1.5 litre vegetable stock
350g red lentils (the non-soak variety)
2 Tsp dried thyme
3 Tsp dried parsley (fresh is way better in this actually - handful, chopped)
1 dsp mushroom ketchup
Black pepper

Chop carrots and onion, fry gently until softening.
Add crushed/sliced garlic for one minute.
Wash lentils. Make up stock.
Put both in pan with carrots and onions.
Add herbs, mushroom ketchup and black pepper.
Bring to boil, simmer for 30-40 minutes, stir regularly to break down lentils. No need to whizz or blend if you do this.
 
Egyptian Lentil Soup

2 Onions
4 tbsp Olive oil
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Ground coriander
300g Split red lentils
1.5 litres Veg stock
Fresh lemon juice (to taste)

Method
1. Rinse lentils and drain
2. Chop onions and fry gently in olive oil until soft and just beginning to colour. Stir in the garlic, cumin and coriander. Add lentils and the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30–40 minutes, or until the lentils have disintegrated.
3. Taste and season the soup. Add the lemon juice before serving (a bit at a time until it’s to your tastes).
 
sojourner said:
Which spices though BoatieBird ? I'd like people to be specific about this, cos I'm skint, and want to be making as many variations as I can using different spices, so it matters. Roight?! :mad:;)
Click to expand...

I made a pumpkin soup the other day which was lovely. It had coconut milk in as well as stock and would work well with lentils too. I made a thai red curry paste (but I used ginger rather than galangal, red onion rather than shallots, and the zest of a normal lime). I gently fried and onion with more lemon grass and ginger first, then added a few tables spoons of the paste for a min, then added squash, veg stock and coconut milk. Simmered for a bit, then blended.
It was really good, and there's a jar of paste left over so I can make a thai curry, or more soup, over the next couple of weeks :cool:
 
sojourner said:
Which spices though BoatieBird ? I'd like people to be specific about this, cos I'm skint, and want to be making as many variations as I can using different spices, so it matters. Roight?! :mad:;)
Click to expand...

Depends what I've got in tbh.
I've done this one with harissa paste, tikka paste and thai green curry paste - it's a good one for using up the last of whatever jar you've got lurking in the fridge.
 
Inspired by all this lentil soup talk I remembered that I had some in the freezer so I've got it for lunch today.
I think it's some of a batch I made from the cooking liquid of a gammon joint done in the slow cooker.
 
trabuquera said:
Bacon or chorizo will make it better. as with most things in life.
Click to expand...

This! I make one with olive oil, onions, garlic, fresh bay leaf, chopped chorizo (the sausage kind, and sometimes I take the skins off so the sausage melts into the soup), red lentils and stock (but be careful not to make it too salty cos of the chorizo, so either homemade stock or low salt or don't use much) and maybe wine.
 
Tadka dal. But don't overdo it with the spices in the dal (save them for the tempering). I now cook the lentils with whole chillies, cinnamon stick and some cloves rather than using garam masala. Fry onion with chilli, garlic, ginger, turmeric and maybe a few mustard seeds. Then temper with ghee and cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, dried chilli and fresh curry leaves
 
polly said:
This! I make one with olive oil, onions, garlic, fresh bay leaf, chopped chorizo (the sausage kind, and sometimes I take the skins off so the sausage melts into the soup), red lentils and stock (but be careful not to make it too salty cos of the chorizo, so either homemade stock or low salt or don't use much) and maybe wine.
Click to expand...

That's fancier than my recipe! My usual one is chopped bacon, onion, garlic, carrot and leek. Fry bacon, onion and garlic, chuck in the leek and carrot, put in chicken stock and black pepper and simmer until the leeks are pretty much falling apart, then put in red lentils, turn the heat right down and simmer until the lentils are well and truly done. Eat with piles of bread and butter. :cool:
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far folks.

How about some more? I'm really interested in different spices, different vegetables.

Also - if you experiment and you like it, post it here :)
 
I notice you're already aware of the lemon juice option but the same friend that suggested this also said he'd used pesto in his lentil soup, no idea of quantity though. I could ask if you like?
 
Sojourner's Egyptian Lentil Soup is a firm favourite in our house.
I asked about lentil soup several (or maybe more) years ago, was given the recipe, and that soup has been made many times since - it's easy and delicious, and very warming and filling on chilly autumn/winter nights.

I am surprised that you want a different way to do it!
 
Epona said:
Sojourner's Egyptian Lentil Soup is a firm favourite in our house.
I asked about lentil soup several (or maybe more) years ago, was given the recipe, and that soup has been made many times since - it's easy and delicious, and very warming and filling on chilly autumn/winter nights.

I am surprised that you want a different way to do it!
Click to expand...
:):cool:

As I mentioned, we are really skint right now, and will be eating a LOT of lentils, so we were after some variation just so we don't eat the same sodding flavour every day :D
 
sojourner said:
:):cool:

As I mentioned, we are really skint right now, and will be eating a LOT of lentils, so we were after some variation just so we don't eat the same sodding flavour every day :D
Click to expand...

I am sadly all too familiar with the "this month we will mostly be having lentils" thing.

I've done this masala dal recipe a few times and really enjoyed it:
http://www.tarladalal.com/Masala-Dal-1538r
(although it specifies types of lentils/peas to be used, it works well with whatever you have to hand).
 
Last edited:
Cheers for that! Yeh, well, we'll be eating lots of chickpeas too :D;)

I also have about half a k of chana dal, which I have previously used tamarind sauce with, but discovered I cannot fucking STAND tamarind sauce, bleurghh! Sooo - found a site yesterday that mentioned combining the chana dal with melty lentils such as red ones, and making a stew/soup that way. I don't know why I didn't think of doing that anyway, but am planning something now :)

Really looking forward to trialling the Methi Dal recipe actually!
 
The other thing I like as a really nice comfort food is tarka dal which is very easy to make:

Half and half of red lentils and split yellow peas - bring to the boil in water with 1/2tsp of salt and 1/2tsp turmeric, then turn down the heat and simmer until soft.
In the meantime, heat some (or should I say plenty) ghee* in a small heavy-bottomed pan and add 1tsp black mustard seeds and 1tsp cumin seeds, and heat until the seeds are popping - then add thinly sliced onion and 2 cloves of chopped garlic and cook until the onion is starting to caramelise (yes you need enough ghee that you are basically deep-frying onion in a small pan). Pour the ghee/onion/garlic over the cooked lentils/peas, and stir through, you can also add some methi (fenugreek leaves) at this point if you have any - serve with naan bread, pitta bread, thick slices of bloomer loaf, whatever else you fancy.

*In case you have never made ghee at home it is not difficult, you get unsalted butter and heat it slowly without stirring in a heavy bottomed pan until it has separated into: foam on top; clarified butter in the middle; milk solids which looks like powder on the bottom. Cook it until the milk solids have gone a bit caramel coloured, then skim off the foam and strain the rest, ghee is the clear liquid part. The milk solids are used in some Indian sweets, but if you are only making ghee a bit at a time there won't be enough solids left to do anything useful.
 
This is my fav, and from a vegan food website I have been using for fifteen years

http://www.theppk.com/2010/10/red-lentil-dahl/

Red Lentil Dahl
by IsaChandra
Toasting and grinding your seeds is so worth the effort, and doesn’t take long at all. Serve this dhal as a main dish with rice or as a side dish. It is aromatic, rich and delicious. You’ll need coffee grinder, spice mill or mortar and pestle for this recipe.

3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried red lentils
2 tablespoon tomato paste
4-5 cups veg broth
5 plum tomatoes, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup lightly packed chopped fresh cilantro

Spice blend:
2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
6 whole cloves
4 cardomom pods

2 dried red chilis (seeds removed)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a saute pan over medium heat, toast the seeds (but not the dried red chili) for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from pan and let cool. Transfer to coffee grinder, along with the dried red chili and cinnamon, and grind to a fine powder.

Over medium-high heat oil a soup pot, add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and saute 5 more minutes. Add spices and salt, saute 5 minutes more.

Add 4 cups of water and stir to deglaze the pot. Add tomato paste and lentils. Bring to a boil then lower the heat a bit and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, lime juice and cilantro and more water if it looks to thick. Simmer 10 more minutes, or until lentils are completely tender.
 
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