Red Lentil Soup Recipe: A Warm Start For A Perfect Dinner

Red lentil soup recipe is oficially the most popular soup in Turkey.

It’s considered a perfect start of a good dinner at home and in restaurants.

During the winter time, in some regions of Turkey this red lentil soup recipe lemon is being consumed even in breakfast.

It has several versions according to the regions of the country.

Today I will prepare for you the detailed and restaurant style red lentil soup recipe turkish version.

The taste is bold, the texture is creamy.

It’s so savory and nourishing simultaneously.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and consume it with joy and happiness in your homes.

Red Lentil Soup Recipe Ingredients

PIN THIS INCREDIBLY SAVORY RED LENTIL SOUP RECIPE TO SAVE IT FOR LATER 👇👇👇

red-lentil-soup-recipe-turkish

To cook this incredibly savory red lentil soup you need:

• 1 cup of water (200 ml) of red lentil
• 1 big sized onion
• 1 potatoe
• 1 carrot
• 1 tbs of flour
• 1 tbs of butter
• 1 dried leave of Daphne (optional)
• Olive oil
• 1 dessert spoon of turmeric (optional)
• Salt
• 7 cup of hot water (1 cup is 200 ml)

For the sauce you need:

Olive oil-3 tbs

Red Pepper

Pro Tips To Cook The Best Red Lentil Soup

1. Red lentil should be very well washed under cold water, drained and redried before cooking steps.
2. The leave of daphne is optional but in this restaurant style version this addition maximizes the taste amazingly.
3. The turmeric addition is optional as well but this small addition to the recipe adds an impeccable golden color to the soup without using chemical colorants.                                                                                                                                                                                                      Because of this addition this soup is most of the time called “golden soup” in restaurants.

The turmeric is generally recognized as safe as a food ingredient (GRAS) by the FDA.

ATTENTION: Turmeric may increase the risk of bleeding in patients taking warfarin and antiplatelet drugs.

Again, the breastfeeding mummies should better avoid the usage of turmeric.

If you consider yourself in risk groups/ if you have any concerns about your health please kindly consult your doctor before the consumption of turmeric or avoid turmeric in the preparation process of this recipe.

4. Be sure not to add all the ingredients all together. Every ingredient should be sauté one by one for maximum taste.

5. Be sure to stir the soup time to time while cooking it; if not the lentils may sink within the soup pot.

Red Lentil Soup Lemon Cooking Instructions

If you are ready, let’s start cooking this creamy and bold textured red lentil soup recipe lemon step by step:

STEP 1: Preparation of Red Lentil 

Pour the red lentil into the colander and wash them under cold water until its starch gets disappeared.

Drain them well and let them redry. (15 minutes)

STEP 2 Preparation of Other Ingredients 

Peel-off the onion and slice it thinly.

Wash and peel-off the carrot and potatoe.

Slice them into very small cubes.

STEP 3 Cooking 

Add olive oil into the soup pot.

Add sliced onion into the pot.

Sauté for 3 minutes.

Add carrot and continue sautéing for 3 more minutes.

Peel off the potatoe and slice them thinly.

Add the potatoe in the pot and 1 dried leave of daphne.

Continue sautéing while adding the red lentil and butter in the pot. (for 3 more minutes)

Add flour to add more taste and texture to the soup.

Sauté them all for 1 more minute.

Add hot water on top of them.

When boiling, remove the foam with help of a soup ladle.

After it got boiled, close the lid and cook for 25 minutes.

(During these 25 minutes, be sure to stir it time to time if not the red lentils would sink.)

*If you prefer to avoid using turmeric, the color of the red lentil soup would be more orangy.

STEP 4 Spice Adding 

Add 1 dessert spoon of salt, 1 dessert spoon of turmeric (optional)

STEP 6 Final Cooking 

After adding the spices close the lid and cook 5 more minutes.

STEP 7 Removal of the Leave of Daphne 

It has added it’s aroma and it’s mission is completed.

STEP 8 Blending

Use an immerse blender to obtain a completely smooth texture.

STEP 9 Preparation of The Sauce 

Add olive oil in a pan.

Add red peppers and sauté for 1 minute.

Then your golden red lentil soup turkish style is ready!

Serving Suggestions For The Red Lentil Soup Lemon

You may serve them into soup bowls, pour the sauce on top and place  lemon wedges on their sides.

Since the red lentil soup is selected as the most popular soup of Turkey, it’s so easy to combine it with several dishes such as:

• Mini Meatballs Recipe With Ground Beef and Walnut 
• Turkish grainy rice pilaf
• Chicken sauté
• Eggplant with ground beef
• Greenbeans with tomatoes 

and so much more.

• Be sure to add 1-2 slices of lemon with it.
• The lemon juice should be added to the soup on top of the soup sauce before consuming.

After the dinner you may prefer to enjoy the traditional Turkish coffee as well.

PIN THIS SAVORY RED LENTIL SOUP RECIPE TO SAVE IT FOR LATER 👇👇👇

red-lentil-soup-recipe-lemon

Red Lentil Soup Recipe Turkish Style

Ayse Asli

Smooth Textured Red Lentil Soup With Lemon

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Extra Cooking Time After Spicing 5 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Soup

Cuisine Mediterranean, Turkish

Servings 7 people

Equipment

• 1 Immersion blender
• 1 colander
• 1 soup pot
• 1 soup ladle

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup of water red lentil prewashed and drained
• 1 piece onion middle sized
• 1 piece potatoe
• 1 piece carrot
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 leave daphne dried -this ingredient is optional
• 1 dessert spoon salt You may change the amount of salt according to your preference.
• 7 cup hot water one cup is 200 ml.
• 1 dessert spoon turmeric This ingredient is optional
• 3 tbsp olive oil For the sauce
• 2 desert spoon red pepper You may change the amount of red pepper accordiğng to your preference.

Instructions

 

• Prewash them under cold water and drain.
  1 cup of water red lentil
• Wash and peel off the potatoe, carrot and onion then slice them thinly
  1 piece potatoe, 1 piece carrot, 1 piece onion
• Saute the onion with olive oil for 3 minutes in the pot.
• Saute carrot for 3 more minutes.
• Add potatoe, dried leave of daphne, butter and red lentils and saute for 3 more minutes.
• Add flour and hot water in the pot.
• Remove the foam with help of a soup ladle
• Close the lid and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes.
• Add salt and turmeric (optional) and cook 5 more minutes
• Revome the leave of daphne
• Add olive oil and red peppers into a pan and saute for 1 minute.

Notes

Notes: 

• Be sure that the red lentils are well-washed, drained and redried. 
• Pay attention to the sauteing times of each ingredient. Do not saute them all in once. This patience pays off with maximum taste of this delicious soup. 
• During the 25 minutes cooking time, be sure to stir it tima to time to avoid the red lentils sink. 
• You may think that the dried leave of daphne is negligeable but it adds an impeccable aroma to the soup believe me. 
• Traditionally this soup is being served along with 1-2 slices of lemon. 
• If you wish you may prefer to add 4-5 dops of lemon juice on top of the soup sauce just before serving. 
• You may combine this soup with almost every dish but it goes perfectly well especially with chicken sauté, eggplant with ground beef and Turkish style rice pilaf. 

This is the detailed version of this very popular red lentil soup with lemon. 

I hope you try my recipe and share your experience with me via @turkishfoodpro

Keyword red lentil, turmeric, lemon, lentil soup