Lentils are for warm days and light meals: Gluten-free red lentil soup

Lentils are for warm days and light meals: Gluten-free red lentil soup

Method

Add red lentils to a bowl and soak them in water for 30 minutes. Strain and set aside.Then, sauté chopped onion and carrot in olive oil until softened, in a deep pan, over a medium flame. Add cumin powder and salt, and sauté a bit longer to bring out their flavours.Next, add the stock, red lentils, and chopped potato, and simmer the soup until the lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the stockpot until it is completely smooth.If you do not have an immersion blender, you can transfer the soup in two batches to a traditional blender and purée until completely smooth.Be careful when blending hot liquids in a traditional blender, as they expand when blended.It is advisable to divide the soup in half and blend in two separate batches, slowly open the cap of the blender lid so that hot air can escape as needed.Finally, serve it up warmly, sprinkled with chopped fresh herbs and generous squeezes of lemon juice and garlic chilli oil.You can add fresh cream while serving (optional).

Chef Mayssam Abdulkhalek

He is the Executive Chef at Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som, Qatar.

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