Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the most famous soup in Turkey? ›

Mercimek soup, known as Turkish lentil soup, is one of the most favored traditional soups in Türkiye. It's a very simple dish requiring only a few ingredients yet its taste is matchless! Lentils are legumes that are very high in fiber, are packed with vitamin B, and a great source of potassium.

Add the water, lentils, chick peas, white kidney beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, garam masala, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cumin. Bring to a boil for a few minutes then simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer, until the lentils are soft. Puree half the soup in a food processor or blender.

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

Choosing Your Lentils

The other good news: Lentils don't need to soak as beans do (though you do need to sort and rinse them before cooking). Different types of lentils cook in different amounts of time. Red lentils are the fastest cooking and they dissolve as they cook and make for a smooth soup.

According to the Taste Atlas Awards, the international food database, the Filipino favorite, Sinigang, is hailed as the best soup in the world.

Chicken and Vermicelli Soup (Şehriyeli Tavuklu Çorbası)

Şehriyeli tavuklu çorbası (Turkish chicken noodle soup) is often called 'sick soup', a popular antidote to cases of flu and colds. Chicken broth strengthens the immune system and heals a raft of illnesses during the winter months.

Along with being high in protein and low in fat, red lentils are one of the best sources of fiber. Lentils contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, which both provide different benefits to our body.

History and literature

The Roman cookbook Apicius, compiled in the 1st century AD, includes a recipe for lentil soup with chestnuts. Lentil soup is mentioned in the Bible: In Genesis 25:30-34, Esau is prepared to give up his birthright for a pot of fragrant red lentil soup being cooked by his brother, Jacob.

Lentils have plenty of folate, iron and vitamin B1, which also support your heart health. Lentils may be associated with a lower risk of heart disease, by lowering bad cholesterol and blood pressure. One study found that eating lentils led to greater reductions in blood pressure than eating chickpeas, peas or beans.

Not adding any aromatics to the pot.

Add aromatics to the water or, even better, use chicken or vegetable stock instead of water. Follow this tip: Add a few cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, a spring of rosemary, half of an onion, or a combination of these aromatics to the cooking water or stock to help flavor the lentils.

Can you overcook lentils in soup? ›

Yes, you can overcook lentils; they will become mushy. Much depends on the type of lentil you're using. Some cook quicker and hold their shape better than others. To avoid overcooking them, always follow the cooking directions in your recipe and use the type of lentils called for in the ingredient list.

While dry lentils have a long shelf life, they can go bad. Signs of spoilage include a noticeable change in color, a musty smell, or the presence of mold or insects. Any visible mold, moisture, or pest infestation is a clear indication that lentils are no longer suitable for consumption.

As the veggies hit the boiling water, volatile acids are released into the water and are carried away in the steam. When the pot is covered, the steam and the acids it contains are forced back into the water. Once there, the acids react with the chlorophyll in the vegetables, turning them an unsightly shade of brown.

With red lentils the only reaosn I can see for rinsing is to (slightly) reduce foaming; with Puy lentils and some others even that's not an issue and you may lose flavour.

Lentils are high in fiber, which supports regular bowel movements and the growth of healthy gut bacteria. Eating lentils can increase your stool weight and improve your overall gut function ( 5 ).

Chicken Noodle Soup is the most popular soup in America. More than 28% of consumers choose clam chowder as their favorite kind of soup. The global soup market size was valued at USD 16.1 billion in 2018. Vegetable soup is the second most popular soup in the U.S after chicken noodle soup.

Sultan's soup is also known as Ottoman soup. Originally served to the sultans of that era, it is typically made from chicken, thickened with flour and an egg yolk and then flavoured with blanched almonds.

Turkish Lentil Soup Ingredients:

Veggies: This lentil soup recipe is made with a simple base of onion (white or yellow), carrot, and a small potato (I used a Yukon gold). Stock: Either vegetable or chicken stock — whichever you prefer. Red lentils: Which cook quickly and break down well in this soup.

"There is a tradition of having breakfast with soups, one of the favorite being beyran, but lentil soup is also common. It is no new trend." The name "ezogelin," however, didn't hit the food world until midway through the 20th century. "Ezogelin is a typical Gaziantep lentil soup, originally named malhıta çorbası.