Türkiye · Turkish everyday cuisine (soups)
Mercimek çorbası (Turkish red lentil soup)
A smooth, velvety soup of red lentils, onion, carrot and potato, finished at the table with sizzling red pepper butter and a squeeze of lemon: the everyday soup of every Turkish home and lokanta.
Cookhuddle Editorial Cookhuddle | Turkey
Editorial selection: recipes cross-checked against several documentary sources. They have not been tested in our kitchen: follow the precautions given and adapt times to your own oven.
original Original text, written in English.
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- Servings
- 6
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
Cuisine / tradition: Turkish everyday cuisine (soups) (TR) — declared by the author
- Soup
- Starter
- Everyday
Ingredients
For 6 servings
- 3 tbsp oil or olive oil
- 1 piece large onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp plain flour (optional, for body)
- 1 piece carrot, diced
- 1 piece large potato, diced
- 300 g red lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 l hot water or light stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin (optional)
- 2 tbsp butter, for the topping
- 1 tbsp oil, for the topping
- 1 tsp pul biber (red pepper flakes), for the topping
- 1 piece lemon, in wedges, to serve
Method
- Step 1. Heat the 3 tablespoons of oil in a deep pot over medium heat. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft.⏱ 5 min
- Step 2. Stir in the flour, if using, and cook for 1 minute until it smells lightly toasted. Add the carrot and the potato and stir for about 3 minutes.⏱ 3 min
- Step 3. Add the lentils, the salt, the pepper and the cumin, then pour in the hot water. Bring to the boil, skim the foam, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils, carrot and potato are completely soft.⏱ 30 min
- Step 4. Blend the soup with a hand blender until perfectly smooth. Return to a gentle heat and simmer for 5 more minutes, adding a little hot water if it is too thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning.⏱ 5 min
- Step 5. For the topping, heat the butter and the oil in a small pan until the butter has melted and is hot, add the pul biber and cook for about 1 minute, until it sizzles and the butter turns red. Remove from the heat.⏱ 1 min
- Step 6. Pour the soup into bowls, drizzle with the hot red butter and serve with lemon wedges, and toasted bread if you like.
Story and cultural note
Mercimek çorbası is the red lentil soup of Turkey, served in homes and restaurants (lokanta). The sources agree on the base of red lentils, onion, carrot and potato, finished with a topping of butter melted with red pepper flakes, with lemon to serve. They differ on whether a spoon of flour is added for body (some recipes say the traditional soup has none), on whether stock or water is used, and on cumin or mint.
Tips for success
Rinse the lentils and cook the vegetables until completely soft before blending. Blend until perfectly smooth and adjust the thickness with hot water: the soup should be smooth and fairly thick. Make the red butter at the last moment so that it sizzles on the soup. A squeeze of lemon brightens it.
Serving and presentation
Serve very hot in bowls with the sizzling red butter drizzled on top, a lemon wedge and crisp bread cubes fried in butter, with a little dried mint if you like.
Diet and allergens
Information declared by the author. CookHuddle does not verify or certify it. If you have an allergy, check the ingredients yourself.
DietVegetarianEgg-freeNut-free
ContainsGluten (cereals)Milk
