Turkish Red Lentil Soup

INGREDIENTS

For the Soup:
1 cup red lentils
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 Cayenne chile, seeded and diced
1 heaping Tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried mint
½ teaspoon thyme or oregano
¼ teaspoon black pepper
8 cups water
4 teaspoons vegetable broth powder, or replace 4 cups of the water with 4 cups of a prepared vegetable broth
½ teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste, depends on the saltiness of your broth)

For the Paprika Oil:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons paprika
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS
Pick through your lentils for any foreign debris, rinse them 2 or 3 times, drain, and set aside.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, sauté the olive oil and the onion with a pinch of salt for 3 minutes. Add the carrots and cayenne chile and sauté for another 3 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stir it around for around 1 minute. Now add the cumin, paprika, mint, thyme, black pepper, and red pepper and sauté for 10 seconds to bloom the spices. Immediately add the lentils, water, broth, and salt. Bring the soup to a boil.

After it has come to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover the pot halfway, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils have fallen apart and the carrots are completely cooked.

In the meanwhile make the paprika oil by swirling together the olive oil, paprika, and red pepper in a small sauce pan over medium heat. The moment you see the paprika starting to bubble, remove the pan from the heat. It’s done.

After the soup has cooked and the lentils are tender, blend the soup either in a blender or simply use a hand blender to reach the consistency you desire. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.

Serve the soup with a drizzle of paprika oil, wedges of lemon, and extra mint and red pepper for everyone to customize to their taste.

Slightly adapted from a recipe from landsandflavors.com