Easy Red Lentil Soup

Ingrédients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion (1)
• 2 celery stalks (1)
• 1 medium carrot (1)
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 stock cube - vegetable or chicken
• 750 ml water
• 180 ml coconut milk (2)
• 150 g dried red lentils
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (3)

Préparation

1. 1

   Prepare the vegetables - peel the onion and carrot, then dice along with the celery into small pieces about 1/4 inch / 0.5cm.

2. 2

   Sauté the vegetables - Heat the olive oil in a saucepan or casserole dish/Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion, carrot and celery. Sauté gently over a medium heat for a few minutes until they are soft and fragrant, but not starting to brown.

3. 3

   Add the spices - Add the spices and cook gently for a further a minute or so. You want to release the flavour, but not burn the spices.

4. 4

   Cook the lentils - Add the lentils, stock, water and the coconut milk. It is best to add less liquid than you think you need at this stage, as it is easy to correct a soup that is too thick rather than thicken one which is too thin.Give it all a good stir, put the lid on and let the soup simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and mushy.

5. 5

   Adjust the texture - If you like your soup smoother, mash with a potato masher, or blend to the texture you want. You can add more stock or water to thin the soup if needed.

6. 6

   Season and serve - Season to taste, a squeeze of lemon juice acts as a flavour enhancer, lightening and brightening the dish.