Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish Red Lentil Soup)
A warming, silky Turkish red lentil soup finished with a fragrant butter and paprika drizzle. Ready in under 20 minutes with just a pot and a blender.
- Total time
- 18 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 186
- Protein
- 12g
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the red lentils in a fine-mesh strainer under cool running water until the water runs clear, about 30 seconds, to remove dust and debris.
- 2
Cut the onion in half from root to tip, then slice each half crosswise into half-moon pieces about 1/4-inch thick.
- 3
Pour the water into a large pot and set it over high heat until you see large bubbles breaking the surface, about 5 minutes.
- 4
Add the rinsed lentils and onion slices to the boiling water, then stir for 10 seconds to combine.
- 5
Once the soup returns to a boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 12 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the lentils are completely soft and breaking apart.
- 6
Remove the pot from heat and carefully pour the soup into a blender in two batches, filling it only halfway each time to leave room for steam to escape.
- 7
Blend each batch for 45 seconds on high speed until the soup is completely smooth with no visible lentil pieces, then pour it into a clean pot.
- 8
Stir the salt into the blended soup, then taste it and add more salt if needed until it tastes savory but not salty.
- 9
Pour the olive oil into a small skillet and set it over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, about 60 seconds.
- 10
Add the paprika to the hot oil and stir for 5 seconds until it smells deeply fragrant, then immediately pour the oil and paprika into a small bowl.
- 11
Reheat the soup over medium heat for 1 minute until you see small bubbles around the edges, then ladle it into bowls.
- 12
Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of the paprika oil over the center of each bowl, allowing the red oil to pool on top of the orange soup.
Tools you’ll need
- fine-mesh strainer
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- large pot (4-quart or larger)
- wooden spoon
- blender
- small skillet
- soup ladle
- small bowl
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