Arabic Lentil Soup

You know who eats soup in the middle of July? I do.

I have no qualms about it either. Soup still needs love even in the hottest days of the year.

I don’t usually make it, though. There are two food carts in Portland that I tend to get most of my soup from—The Portland Soup Company and Savor Soup House. Fresh ingredients. Comforting classics. Stuff you can’t find in the store. The flavors rotate daily, weekly, or whenever they run out. Soup never gets old when it’s like that.

Sometimes I do try my hand at soup. You’ve seen it—Broccoli and White Bean, Beet and Leek, Eggplant and White Bean, Curried Carrot, etc. It’s just not the same, though. That’s the case with most food. It always tastes better when someone else makes it. That clearly never stops me. The blog is proof of that.

This lentil soup is simple and earthy. It’s filling qualities sneak up on you if you’re not careful. I did sneak in some chopped radish greens and a sprinkling of chili flake because I wanted just a little something extra. This isn’t meant to be an extravagant in your face soup, and sometimes that’s all you need.

Inspiration: Veggie Belly

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, small dice [I used my food processor—laziness ftw]
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 bunch of radish greens, cleaned and roughly chopped [optional]
• 1/2 cup heaping cup dried lentils [green or brown, I used brown]
• 3+ cups of water
• 1/2-1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt to taste

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot on medium heat.
2. Add the onion, stirring occasionally until turning translucent.
3. Add the carrot, radish greens, and garlic, stirring for about 30 seconds. The garlic should be fragrant.
4. Add the lentils and cumin, stir to coat—about 10 seconds.
5. Add three cups of water and bring it to a boil.
6. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid.
7. Cook for about 30 minutes until the lentils are tender but still mostly holding their shape.
8. Check occasionally on the water level. Add more as necessary to reach the desired consistency.
9. Turn off the heat and use a potato masher to mash 1/3 [or more] of the lentils to thicken the broth.
10. Taste test. Add more cumin, salt, or chili flakes as you see fit.
11. Serve alone or with crusty bread.