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Waitrose

Egyptian Lentil Soup

This heartwarming dish is an everyday favourite in Egypt. It’s simple to make as red lentils disintegrate by themselves. If you don’t want to garnish it with the caramelised onions, simply serve it with some tiny croutons.

Preparation time:
10 minutes
Cooking time:
60 minutes
Total time:
1 hour 10 minutes 60 minutes 10 minutes
Serves:
 4

Ingredients

  • 2 Onions
  • 4 tbsp Olive oil
  • 2 Garlic cloves, crushed
  • ¾ tsp Cumin
  • ¾ tsp Ground coriander
  • 150g Split red lentils
  • 1.5 litres Chicken stock
  • ½ Lemon, juice

Method

  1. Chop one of the onions and slice the other. In a saucepan, fry the chopped onion in 2 tbsp olive oil until soft and just beginning to colour. Stir in the garlic, cumin and coriander; when the aroma rises, add the lentils and the stock. Bring to the boil and remove any scum that appears on the surface. Simmer for 30–40 minutes, or until the lentils have disintegrated.
  2. Warm the remaining oil in a frying pan, add the sliced onion, cover and cook over a low heat for 15–20 minutes until soft. Take off the lid, turn up the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until dark, crisp and caramelised. Set aside.
  3. Taste and season the soup. Add water if it needs thinning down – it should be the consistency of single cream. Stir in the lemon juice before serving and garnish each bowl with some of the caramelised onions.