A morish lentil soup

By Mira Lieberman

DO NOT skip the yogurt sauce, it makes all the difference. I told you so.

Ingredients

For the soup:

  • 1.5 cups red lentils, rinsed

  • 1 onion, diced

  • 1 celery stick, chopped

  • 2 peeled carrots, cut into rings

  • 1 celeriac, peeled and diced

  • 1 small potato, diced

  • A handful of chopped coriander

  • 1 tbsp chopped mint

  • 1 clove garlic, chopped

  • 4 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 tbsp rice, rinsed

For the yogurt sauce:

  • 200ml plain vegan yogurt

  • ½ garlic clove, chopped

  • 2 tbsp chopped mint

  • ½ tsp lemon rind

  • 1 tsp lemon juice

  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the spices:

  • 1 tbsp tomato puree

  • 1 garlic clove, chopped

  • 1 tsp cumin, turmeric, brown sugar

  • ½ tsp cinnamon and black pepper

  • 1 cup boiling water

Image credit: noracooks.com

Method

  1. In a large pot, fry the onion, carrots, celery, potato and celeriac for about 5 minutes. Make sure they are all cut more or less to the same size so that they fry evenly.

  2. In a food processor or blender, blend all the soup spices together and add to the vegetables, together with the red lentils. Add chopped coriander and mix well.

  3. Add 1 ¼ litres of water, bring to the boil. Then lower the heat, cover and cook over low heat for half an hour. Add 2 tbsp rice and continue cooking for an additional 20 minutes.

  4. In a bowl or blender, mix all the yogurt ingredients and serve alongside the soup.