Red lentil soup (mercimek çorbası) recipe

Smooth restaurant-style red lentil soup made with onion and carrot, ready in 40 minutes. Finished with chilli butter and served with lemon.

What goes with it?

Rinse the lentils
Rinse the lentils in a sieve until the water runs clear. Chop the onion, carrot and potato into large chunks.
Fry the vegetables
Heat the oil in a pot. Cook the onion and carrot over a medium heat until the onion softens, then stir in the flour and cook for one more minute until it smells toasty.
Simmer
Add the lentils, potato and hot water. Once it boils, turn the heat down and cook with the lid ajar until the lentils break down.
Blend
Blend until smooth with a stick blender. Add the salt and cumin. If it is too thick, add a little hot water and bring it back to the boil once.
Add the chilli butter
Melt the butter in a small pan, add the chilli flakes and take it off the heat. Spoon it over the soup in the bowls and serve with lemon.

For a restaurant finish, pass the soup through a fine sieve after blending.
Potato thickens the soup, so if you want to use less flour, add more potato.
Add the salt after the lentils are cooked, as lentils salted early take longer to break down.

Keeps in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 2 months. It thickens as it sits, so add a little water when reheating.

Lentil soup is the most common starter on Turkish restaurant and home tables. Red lentils are hulled, so they break down quickly and need no soaking.

Why does lentil soup split or release water?

If it is blended before the lentils have broken down fully, the solids and liquid separate. Cook the lentils until completely soft, then blend.

Can lentil soup be made without flour?

Yes. Leave out the flour and use 2 potatoes. It is then gluten free and the potato provides the thickness.