Yemeni Lentil Soup Recipes

SOPA DE LENTEJAS (ANDALUCIAN LENTIL SOUP)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the bacon just until it starts to brown a bit, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the olive oil, onion, and bell pepper; cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, sausage, and bay leaf; cook about 4 minutes. Add lentils and water (water should be about an inch deeper than the level of the lentils). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, until lentils are just cooked, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Put the potatoes into the soup and continue simmering until potatoes are cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.
• Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.

YEMENI LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Rise and pick through lentils thoroughly and set aside.
• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add onion, garlic, chili, and bell pepper. Cook until the onion is clear and slightly brown.
• Add lentils and cook for a minute until slightly brown, being careful not to burn. Add tomato, cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, and black pepper. Quickly add water and maintain medium heat.
• Cover saucepan and let boil. Lentils should absorb water and become soft in about 1 hour. Add more water if needed. Lentils are cooked through when they are completely soft.
• Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with bread or a dollop of unsweetened yogurt.

LEMON LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Grease a saucepan with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, and coriander until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth and red lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes.
• Blend lemon juice and cashews together in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.
• Stir the cashew cream, spinach, and parsley in with the lentils. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes more.

YEMENITE SOUP

Steps:

• Mix cumin, turmeric, and pepper.
• Put beef in a large pot and sprinkle with salt and spice mixture.
• Cook for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally.
• Add onion and tomatoes and enough boiling water to cover meat.
• Bring to a boil and skim foam from surface.
• Cover and cook over low heat for about 2 hours.
• Peel the potatoes and add to the soup, if necessary, add water to cover.
• Cook over low heat until meat and potatoes are tender (about 1 additional hour) Adjust seasoning, remove onion and tomatoes.
• Serve and enjoy!

KURDISH SPICY LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Combine the lentils, wheat berries, chickpeas, and 2 quarts of water in a large pot.
• Cover, bring to a boil, and skim carefully.
• Add the vegetables, tomato paste, and hot peppers.
• Cook, covered, for 1 hour.
• Add the salt and cook 30 minutes longer, or until the chickpeas are fully cooked. Serves 6.

GRANNY FRASER'S LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Boil the water, add the stock cubes.
• Once they have dissolved, add the lentils and simmer.
• Whilst the lentils are simmering, chop the potatoes first and add to the lentils, then the carrots and lastly the leek.
• Cook until the vegetables are soft, usually 20-30 mins depending on the size of the veg.
• Variations-
• *add ham/bacon.
• *fry the leeks in butter before adding to the soup.
• *keep it chunky or whiz with a hand-held blender.
• Once pureed this soup freezes. To defrost simply cover the bottom of a pot with water, put the frozen soup in it and gently heat until the soup is warmed through.
• I always make double to freeze and it rarely sees the freezer.

ARABIC LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Wash lentils thoroughly and soak if desired.
• I never soak them, and they always seem to cook up quickly.
• Bring stock to a boil.
• Add quartered onion, garlic, tomato and lentils.
• Return to boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer, partially covered, until lentils are tender.
• The amount of time will depend on the freshness of the lentils and whether or not they were soaked, but plan on an hour to an hour and a half.
• Over-cooking wouldn't be a problem since this is a blended soup, but under-cooking would.
• As lentils approach tenderness, melt butter in a small frying pan over medium-low heat.
• Add thinly sliced onion and allow to fry until very dark brown.
• Add cumin, saute briefly.
• Add mixture to soup and stir through.
• Ladle one ladle-full of soup at a time into a blender or food processor.
• Using a dishtowel, hold lid down and process soup until homogenous.
• When soup has been completely pureed, return to a pot and reheat until ready to serve.
• Enjoy!