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Red Lentil Soup with Potato and Lemon
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Turkish red lentil soup, called kırmızı mercimek çorbası, is a classic dish and a ubiquitous offering in Turkish eateries. There are many versions of the soup, some with a base of chicken stock, others made vegetarian; some that include only with lentils plus a few aromatics, others fortified with rice. Istanbul home cook Emine Nese Daglar, and grandmother of chef Cagla Gurses, taught us her pressure-cooked version, which we adapted for conventional stovetop simmering. To add flavor and color, she uses a Turkish pepper paste called biber salçası; as a substitute we find tomato paste plus roasted red peppers work nicely. She also blends her soup to a smooth, elegant puree, as is traditional, but we prefer to keep ours rustic in texture. Lemon juice is an essential ingredient in kırmızı mercimek çorbası. It brings a brightness that balances the earthiness of the lentils.
4
Servings
Tip
*Don’t serve the soup immediately after stirring in the lemon juice.* Allow it to stand for a few minutes so the flavors mix and meld.
50 minutes (15 minutes active)
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more to serve
1 cup red lentils
8 ounces russet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
¼ cup drained roasted red peppers, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Ingredients
-
⅓
cup extra-virgin olive oil
-
1
medium yellow onion, chopped
-
4
medium garlic cloves, minced
-
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
-
3
tablespoons tomato paste
-
1
tablespoon sweet paprika
-
1
teaspoon ground cumin, plus more to serve
-
1
cup red lentils
-
8
ounces russet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
-
¼
cup drained roasted red peppers, finely chopped
-
2
tablespoons lemon juice
-
½
cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Directions
-
01In a large saucepan over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
-
02Add the tomato paste, paprika and cumin; cook, stirring often, until the tomato paste begins to stick to the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the lentils, followed by the potato, roasted peppers, 6 cups water and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then cover, reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are very soft and the potato is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
-
03Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and let stand, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with additional cumin and the parsley.
Reviews
March 21, 2023
Warming & Simple
I read the reviews of this before I made it. This recipe is delicious. I followed the recipe as written with changes: I used a box (1 pint) of chicken stock and two cups water and squeezed the juice of a half lemon in at the end instead measuring out 2 TBS. This is special soup especially on a cold, rainy day in LA.
February 23, 2023
Comfort Food
I have to admit, I was a bit leary about this recipe, having only 2 spices, but, it was a pleasant surprise. We loved it, the only change I made was to use lime juice because I didn't have any lemons. VERY GOOD soup. A great soup for a cold winter's night.
February 23, 2023
Another excellent, easy vegan soup!
The potatoes drew me in. At first I thought this wasn't much different from the Red Lentil Soup with Aleppo Pepper (Milk Street) and a red lentil soup w/carrots and cilantro that we love. But it's not the same and stands on its own. I was concerned it would be bland after reading one review, but we didn't think so at all. The potato cubes added texture and thickness to the soup-- especially the next day. We love lemon, so used 3 tbsp instead of 2. Next time I would add more potato because, well, I love potatoes.
February 20, 2023
so-so
Found this on the bland side-unusual for MS recipes. Added some Fresno pepper sauce, additional lemon, vegan powdered chicken broth and a couple of splashes of tamari which helped.
February 9, 2023
The blandest recipe I’ve ever made from Milkstreet
This was so bland! I kept adding more cumin on top to try to save it but it just wasn’t that good. The timing was good. The potatoes and lentils were perfectly cooked. There just wasn’t enough flavor to make it worth it. Very disappointing
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