Spicy Lentil Soup

We are on a budgeting and healthier eating jaunt at the moment, let's hope it lasts. I have been trying to cook alot more dishes with lentils and beans. In my search for these types of recipes I came across another very good lentil soup recipe in 'The Australian Women's Weekly - Vegetarian Cooking' book (page 13).



This recipe uses red lentils. These lentils cook an awful lot faster than the brown lentils in my other lentil soup recipe here. Again, they are very good for you, cheap, store well and are very, very tasty.

I'm sorry the photos are a little blurry I had to blow them up a bit.

I realise that this does not look too appealing. The recipe called for fresh coriander leaves but as these were the only ingredient I did not have in the cupboard I left them out. I think their addition would have made the soup even tastier but as I said we are on a budgeting jaunt and I am trying to use ingredients I already have in my cupboard as opposed to dashing off to the shops all the time.

Spicy Lentil Soup

90g butter (original recipe called for 125g but I thought this was a little excessive)

2 medium brown onions, chopped

8 cloves of garlic (original recipes called for only 2 but I always up the garlic anty in my cooking - No Vampires around here tonight!)

1 tablespoon garam masala

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups dried red lentils

2 x 415ml cans chopped tinned tomatoes (the original recipe called for tomato puree but I don't mind a few obvious tomato pieces in my soup)

9 cups of chicken stock (I didn't have vegetable stock and I added one less cup of liquid to make for a thicker soup as we were having this for our dinner not as an entree)

1/3 cup chopped fresh coriander (I did not add this but I think it would have complemented the other flavours nicely)

Heat the butter in a large pan (when cooking with butter I always add a splash of olive oil as this will stop the butter from burning) and fry the onions, garlic and spices. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the lentils and stir for about two minutes before adding the stock and tinned tomatoes. Bring the soup to the boil and then lower the temperature to a simmer, cooking for 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft. (Stir the coriander through just before serving).

This was such an easy meal to cook. It took me less than ten minutes to prepare and with only a thirty minute cooking time it was so quick. I rate this an 8/10. I would definitely make this again. Mr Bee loved it as it was just spicy enough that he didn't even have add his usually accompaniment to all meals, Tabasco sauce!