This red lentil soup is a heart-warming and cozy for those cold nights. I have created a a number of recipes on my blog in the past years. But I have never really revealed that I am a soup fan. About 30% of my diet consists of soups. They are easy to make, ready in under 30 mins and let’s face it – you can literally throw everything into the pot at once. It is difficult for an indigenous African when we say ‘Soup’ – because it means something different to us.
An African soup is a compliment to a heavy swallow meal (a stiff dough usually made by mixing boiling water with a starchy flour made from plants). When I moved here, I eventually understood that the term ‘soup’ meant something different – something light – usually boiled with a broth.
As fall season approaches, this supper one-potter is on a weekly rotation. This red lentil soup is what I am currently living for this season. The spice combination I used in this dish has been in family for ages and was handed to me by my mom (She is really good at being different with her cooking). The primary ingredients are scotch bonnet chilli paste, scallions and red onions.
I use red onions in all my cooking because I think its flavour has more depth. You can use a hand blender rather than transferring to a blender. Use a non-stick pot so nothing sticks to the bottom while you blend. It is completely vegan and literally grease-free. You can make this soup in under 30 mins and make it large enough for a crowd.
North African Red Lentil Soup
🥢 Equipment
- 1 Hand Blender
🍜 Ingredients
- 1 Cup Red Lentils
- 1/2 Medium Scotch Bonnet
- 1/2 Medium Red Onions
- 3 Small Scallions
- 1/2 tsp Rosemary
- 1/2 tsp Thyme
- 1 Medium Garlic Clove
- 1/2 tsp Crushed Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1 Cup Coconut Milk
- 2 1/2 Cups Water
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
🍰 Instructions
- On a chopping board chop the red onions, scallions and scotch bonnet. Chop them roughly.1/2 Medium Scotch Bonnet, 1/2 Medium Red Onions, 3 Small Scallions
- Bring the water to boil and toss in the red lentils, and chopped vegetables.1 Cup Red Lentils, 2 1/2 Cups Water
- Add in the rosemary, cumin, turmeric, nutmeg thyme, oregano, ginger and garlic.1/2 tsp Rosemary, 1/2 tsp Thyme, 1 Medium Garlic Clove, 1/2 tsp Oregano, 1/2 tsp Crushed Ginger
- Add in the coconut milk.1 Cup Coconut Milk
- Leave that to boil down to a soupy mush.
- Using a hand blender, gently pulse around the pot until you have a smooth mixture. Make sure there are no lumps.
- Serve warm with bread or by itself.
