Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Çorbası)

Ingredients

US measurements with metric in parentheses.

• 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp (15 g) tomato paste
• 1 tsp (2.5 g) ground cumin
• 1 tsp (2.5 g) paprika
• 1½ cups (300 g) red lentils, rinsed
• 6 cups (1.4 L) vegetable broth or water
• 1 tsp (6 g) salt
• Lemon wedges and chili flakes to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a pot and cook the onion and carrot 6 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, cumin and paprika for 1 minute.
2. Add the lentils, broth and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer 20 to 25 minutes until the lentils are soft.
3. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth, adding water if too thick.
4. Taste, adjust salt, and serve with lemon and chili flakes.