Arabic lentil soup (vegan)

6 people

I draw a lot of inspiration from Arabic cuisine. I make this lentil soup with the Lebanese 7-spice mix from the cookbook “de Souk”. A souk is an Arabic market, you might need to hit the market for these spices too ;-)

Ingredients:1 large white onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 300 grams dried red lentils 1.5 litres vegetable stock 400 grams chopped tomatoes (1 can) 1½ teaspoons Lebanese 7-spice mix 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon coriander seeds Pinch of chili powder 2 teaspoons good quality ras el hanout (e.g. from Thierselin or Nadia & Merijn) 1 courgette, diced 1 aubergine, diced 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced sunflower oil 15 grams parsley The peel of half a preserved lemon, finely chopped (available at Turkish or Moroccan greengrocers)

Lebanese 7-spice mixMix and store airtight in a dark place: 10 teaspoons ground allspice 7 teaspoons ground white pepper 7 teaspoons ground cinnamon 10 teaspoons ground cloves 8 teaspoons ground nutmeg 4 teaspoons turmeric powder 8 teaspoons ground ginger

Preparation:1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees 2. Sauté the onion and garlic together in a pan with some sunflower oil until translucent, along with all the dry spices from the recipe 3. Then add the lentils, vegetable stock, and chopped tomatoes and let the lentils simmer gently until cooked. 4. Roast the vegetables separately on a baking tray in the preheated oven with some sunflower oil and a bit of salt. The courgette will be cooked after about 10 minutes, while the aubergine and sweet potato will need about an additional 10 minutes to become tender. 5. Blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender, then add the roasted vegetables, the finely chopped preserved lemon, and the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy your meal!

By: Marleen

Categories: Kitchen secrets