11/2 cups red lentils
6 cups water
3 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 slices fresh ginger root, each about the size of a quarter
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2 medium carrots (1 cup grated)
1 cup canned tomatoes, or 1 medium fresh tomato, chopped (undrained)
1 small red or green bell pepper (1/2 cup finely chopped)
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11/2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
11/2 teaspoons ground cumin
11/2 teaspoons ground coriander
pinch of cayenne
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Sort and rinse the lentils. Put them into a soup pot with the water, bay leaves, garlic, and ginger. Cover and place on high heat.
Prepare the carrots, tomatoes, and bell peppers, and add them to the pot. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
While the vegetables simmer, sauté the onions on medium heat in the olive oil in a heavy skillet for about 10 minutes or until browned. Add the cumin, coriander, and cayenne, and sauté for another minute, stirring to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat. When the lentils are tender, remove the bay leaves, and ginger from the soup pot. Stir in the sautéed onions and the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
PER 8-OZ SERVING: 82 CALORIES, 3.3 G PROTEIN, 3.2 G FAT, 11.2 G CARBOHYDRATE, 74 MG SODIUM, 0 MG CHOLESTEROL.
TOTAL TIME
35 minutes
SERVINGS
4 to 6
MENU
This soup is good served with toasted pita wedges and topped with yogurt, minced onion, or sprigs of fresh mint, parsley, or cilantro. Serve with Vegetables in Mint Vinaigrette (see page 72) or Curried Cauliflower (see page 75), or for a simple meal, accompany with a tossed green salad and bread.
A golden soup with flecks of red and orange. Variations of this soup are found in cuisines from Egypt to India.
This soup tastes even better as a leftover, when the flavors have fully mingled.