Thursday, November 13, 2008

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

Still feeling like I had the plague, I decided on a quick delicious soup for lunch.



















This soup is loosely based on this recipe from Melissa Clark in the NY Times. I say loosely, because I didn't stick to the quantities, omitted the cilantro, and added some crushed coriander seed.

For the carrots, I used my veggie peeler to get thin strips, then chopped those up. That's probably the best idea I've ever had for soup - no matter how small you dice carrots, you always get chunks of carrot. The peel and chop method worked perfectly, giving the carrots the same consistency as the lentils. (Definitely use red lentils, also called masoor dal, any other kind won't break down enough.)
















Since all the veggies were really small already, I didn't use a blender (immersion or otherwise), just mashed with a spoon until it was slightly thicker.

If you haven't tried lemon juice in soup - not just lentil, it works in chicken too, and would probably work in a beans & greens soup - I strongly urge you to go out and buy a lemon.

7 comments:

kat said...

oh i bet that would be great when you aren't feeling well

Vicki said...

Hi Kat - It was great. Unfortunately, I'm still not feeling well :( Stupid virus.

Betts said...

I love soup when I'm sick. It's all I lived on for a week... that, and tea. Hope you feel better soon.

Vicki said...

Hi Betts -
Hot soup, cold tea, 4 days so far. Thanks :)

Jescel said...

hmnn... i haven't tried lemon in a soup before.. i'll remember the lemon tip next time i make my mung bean soup... thanks for the tip.

Anonymous said...

Love all types of dal. So earthy and satisfying.

Vicki said...

Hi Jescel - I'm sure lemon would be great in a mung bean soup.

Hi Jude -
I've tried all kinds of lentils, and these are the only ones I can seem to get right :)