Red lentil soup with veggies

This is an adaptation of the red lentil soup I make frequently. It’s delicious and always even better the next day. It’s great drizzled with Peruvian Green Sauce or you could use yogurt mixed with some lemon juice and sumac.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp oil (any kind)
• 2 onions, diced
• 1″ fresh ginger, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp chili power
• 2 tsp curry powder (I made my own but any will do)
• 1 cup red lentils (washed)
• 1 stock cube, I use McCormicks “chicken-style” (there is no meat in it)
• 4 cups water
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. In a soup pot that will hold at least a quart of water over medium heat, sauté the onions in the oil until they start to go translucent (3-5 minutes).
2. Add the ginger and garlic and continue cooking another minute or so until they become aromatic.
3. Add the spices and keep cooking for a couple minutes to let the spices wake up.
4. Add the salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt at this stage because there is also salt in the stock cube.
5. Add the tomato paste.
6. Add the celery and carrot.
7. Add the lentils, water and stock cube and give it a good stir.
8. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer and let it do its thing for 30 minutes. Give it stir now and then.
9. Reduce the heat to low and and let it blip away for another 30 minutes.
10. Remove from the heat and add the zest and lemon juice.
11. Adjust seasoning and serve with or without extra toppings.

Serves 4 or 6 as a starter.