Ezogelin Çorbası, Turkish Red Lentil Soup
Ezogelin çorbası is the red lentil soup ladled out in Turkish lokantas from breakfast to midnight, named for a bride called Ezo whose story is sadder than the soup is comforting. What sets it apart from a plain lentil soup is the handful of bulgur and rice cooked in for body, the toasted tomato paste, and above all the finish of dried mint and Aleppo pepper bloomed dry in a hot pan. That last step is not optional; it is the flavor people mean when they say ezogelin. Buy the salt-free Aleppo pepper, since much of what is sold comes salted, and let the lemon at the table carry the seasoning.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Red lentils, rinsed
- 1/4 cup Bulgur
- 2 tbsp long grain brown rice, rinsed
- 1 whole Yellow onions, finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Dried mint
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper, salt-free
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seed, ground
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice, fresh, to serve
Method
- Sweat the onion in a pot with a few tablespoons of water until soft, about 8 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. This slow start builds the sweet onion base that carries a soup with almost no salt.
- Push the onion aside and toast the tomato paste in the bare pot until it darkens to brick red, about 2 minutes. Caramelizing the paste is where the soup gets its savory depth and its warm color.
- Add the lentils, bulgur, rice, ground cumin, and 6 cups (1.4 liters) water. Simmer, partly covered, for 25 to 30 minutes, until the lentils have fallen apart and the grains are tender. Red lentils are meant to collapse here into a natural, creamy thickness with no dairy.
- Blend the soup smooth with an immersion blender if you like it velvety, or leave it rustic. Even a quick partial blend pulls the starch out of the grains and makes the whole pot silkier.
- Toast the dried mint and Aleppo pepper together in a small dry pan for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, then stir the mixture into the soup. Blooming them dry, the way Turkish cooks do, wakes up the mint and the fruity pepper far more than stirring them in raw.
- Ladle into bowls and finish each with a squeeze of lemon. The acid brightens the earthy lentils and does the work salt would otherwise do at the table.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 190 calories, 9 g protein, 7 g fiber, 40 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
