turkish red lentil soup
👨🍳 Chefy Tip: Don't skip the blend. Red lentils gone fully soft make a puree, not a soup. Skip blending and it feels grainy. Add lemon at the end — before serving — not during cooking.
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Ingredients
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Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion and carrots 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Add lentils and broth. Bring to a boil then simmer 20 minutes until lentils are completely soft. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender. Add lemon juice and adjust salt.
Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add chili flakes and sizzle 30 seconds. Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with chili butter. Serve immediately.
Red lentils are hulled and split, which is why they cook faster than green or brown lentils and break down into a creamy texture without any blending required. Turkey consumes more lentils per capita than almost any other country.