Mercimek çorbası
Turkish Red Lentil Soup
Red lentil soup is the soup Turkey makes at home and orders in every lokanta, thin and golden, smooth, with lemon squeezed in at the table and a swirl of chilli-red oil. It takes 35 minutes.
Mercimek is the red lentil soup that is a household staple of Turkey, served hot as a first course with bread and lemon wedges.
The writer's recipe softens an onion, a carrot and a potato in olive oil, adds 255 g of red lentils, a little rice and 1.3 litres of water, simmers for 20 to 25 minutes, then adds butter, cumin and lemon juice, and finishes the bowls with olive oil warmed with pul biber.
Ingredients
For the soup
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot (about 85 g), cubed
- 1 medium potato (about 100 g), cubed
- 255 g red split lentils, rinsed
- 25 g long-grain rice
- 1.3 litres hot water
- 25 g butter
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Fine sea salt and black pepper
For the chilli oil
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Turkish red pepper flakes (pul biber)
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- Soften Heat the 3 tbsp of oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, carrot and potato over a medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring.
- Simmer Add the lentils, rice and hot water. Bring to the boil, skim off the froth, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Add a little water if it becomes too thick.
- Finish Stir in the butter, cumin, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend with a stick blender if you want a smooth soup.
- Make the oil and serve Warm the 3 tbsp of oil with the pepper flakes in a small pan for about 35 seconds. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with the red oil and serve with lemon wedges.
Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear.
The soup thickens as it stands. Loosen with hot water.