Toldot Recipe – Turkish Red Lentil & Carrot Soup

Denise Phillips

I love to bring spirituality to the table through symbolic recipes and this combination ticks all the boxes with my chosen ingredients. Carrots are one of the significant special foods that we are encouraged to eat. In Yiddish the word for carrots is mehren, which means to increase. So for this reason it is a custom in many communities to eat carrots at the start of the New Year in order to wish for a good and prosperous start.

When I was in Istanbul, I took a cookery class and this is a variation of one of the recipes we prepared. I have kept this vegetarian and without butter and love to serve it with sesame bread. Red lentil soup can be found on the menu at most restaurants and as you can imagine each has their own secret twist of the classic version. Smoked paprika and sumac provide the subtle and exquisite flavours in a delicious warming soup.

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

Cooking Time: 35 Minutes

Serves: 12 People

Ingredients:

300g red lentils
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic – peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon sumac
6 carrots – peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato puree
200g potatoes peeled and diced
2 litres vegetable stock
1 red chilli – deseeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Garnish: Sprigs of fresh mint, sumac

Method:

1) Place the red lentils in a colander and rinse. Set aside.

2) Heat the vegetable oil in a large deep saucepan.

3) Sauté the onions, garlic, smoked paprika, sumac, carrots and potatoes for 5 minutes.

4) Add the washed lentils, stock, tomato puree and chilli.

5) Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

6) Add salt and pepper to taste.

7) Liquidise the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.

To serve the stylish way: Garnish with a dusting of sumac and sprigs of fresh mint.

Denise Phillips is a leading International Jewish cookery, author of 5 cook books, most recently The Gourmet Jewish Cook Book (2012). Through her books, columns and master classes, Denise has gained a reputation as a doyenne of Jewish cookery, and her enticing and stylish recipes are an original blend of the old and the new. www.jewishcookery.com

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