Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should lentils be soaked before making soup? ›

The other good news: Lentils don't need to soak as beans do (though you do need to sort and rinse them before cooking). Different types of lentils cook in different amounts of time. Red lentils are the fastest cooking and they dissolve as they cook and make for a smooth soup.

Why does my lentil soup taste bland? Lentils have a relatively mild taste and take well to seasonings. To avoid a bland lentil soup, use a flavorful broth—whether that's homemade or store-bought chicken or vegetable broth. The other key is building flavor.

Turkish Lentil Soup Ingredients:

Veggies: This lentil soup recipe is made with a simple base of onion (white or yellow), carrot, and a small potato (I used a Yukon gold). Stock: Either vegetable or chicken stock — whichever you prefer. Red lentils: Which cook quickly and break down well in this soup.

This lentil soup should be fairly thick, but if you prefer a thicker soup, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl.

No, there is no need to soak red lentils before cooking but it is a good idea to give them a quick rinse.

This time, it turned out mushy and there wasn't a whole lentil to be found. Damn it! I figured out later that it spent about 2.5 hours too long in the slow cooker (a little miscalculation on my part). If you're like me and have overcooked Lentil Soup then you're in luck because I'm going to show you how to revive it.

Think more like you're cooking pasta- you just need significantly more water than lentils. You can also use broth instead of adding an extra layer of flavor. I like adding a bay leaf, an onion cut in half, and a clove of garlic to add flavor to the lentils.

Lentils are frequently cooked with strong spices, which can cause indigestion in some people. Lentils are a good source of potassium, however, too many lentils in the diet can cause hyperkalemia (symptoms may include vomiting, fatigue, irregular heartbeat and difficulty breathing) in people with poor kidney function.

Mercimek soup, known as Turkish lentil soup, is one of the most favored traditional soups in Türkiye. It's a very simple dish requiring only a few ingredients yet its taste is matchless! Lentils are legumes that are very high in fiber, are packed with vitamin B, and a great source of potassium.

What are the 5 ingredients that are most commonly consumed in Turkish cuisine? ›

Tomatoes, eggplants, onions, zucchini, cucumber and garlic are the main vegetables found in Turkish cooking. They're used in everything from dips and salads to fritters and casseroles.

The most popular soup would be lentil soup or tarhana. On the other hand, chicken soup is always considered like a medicine for people with cold or flue.

Pair this lentil soup with crusty bread or a hearty salad like my kale salad or sweet potato salad. It would also go well with a vegetable side dish like roasted cauliflower, roasted broccoli, or a baked sweet potato.

Lower Cholesterol

Soluble fiber found in red lentils binds to “bad” cholesterol and helps our body excrete it through bile acids. This helps to lower our cholesterol, which helps keep our heart healthy by reducing the risk for Atherosclerotic plaque.

As I do, cook some oats along with lentils and then puree it to make soup. This will not only thicken your soup but add some more health too. Hope you will like it. Just reduce it to lose some of the water.

How To Soak Right? Soaking lentils for two- eight hours is mostly recommended. In a bowl add the dal and rinse it with water, changing the water 3-4 times and clean it gently by stroking with your fingers. Now add water to a bowl and soak the dal for about 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the type of lentil.

Here's why soaking lentils is important

Fact 1: Soaking lentils improves digestion and nutrition absorption as it can neutralise lectins and phytates present that may cause gas and bloating. Fact 2: Soaking lentils also reduces its cooking time. It also brings prana (life) into the legume.

Do you cook lentils before adding to soup? Nope! Dried lentils cook in 35 minutes in the soup, and there's no need to soak them either!

Soaking lentils increase the mineral absorption rate of the body. An enzyme called phytase is activated when you soak the dal for some time. Phytase helps in breaking down phytic acid and helps in binding calcium, iron and zinc. This makes the absorption process much easier.