Eat Healthy and Cheap
Shorbat Adas (Red Lentil Soup)
Shorbat adas is the soup that opens the fast across Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria during Ramadan, a bowl of red lentils blended until it reads like a proper cream. Red lentils collapse on their own in twenty minutes, so no dairy, roux, or oil is needed to get there, just a blender and patience. Traditional versions bloom cumin in butter and finish with a squeeze of lemon; toasting the cumin dry in a bare pan gets the same nutty depth, and the lemon stirred in at the end does the seasoning work salt would otherwise do.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Red lentils, rinsed until the water runs clear
- 1 large Yellow onions, chopped
- 2 mediums Carrots, diced
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Cumin seed
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 2 tsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1/4 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 Lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
- 3 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
Method
- Warm a splash of water in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns translucent and the carrot softens, about 8 minutes. Add a tablespoon of water whenever the pot starts to catch.
- Toast the cumin seed in a small dry pan over medium heat until it darkens a shade and smells nutty, about 1 minute, then grind it. Stir the ground cumin, turmeric, and garlic into the pot and cook 30 seconds, just until the garlic turns fragrant, not brown.
- Add the rinsed lentils, the bouillon, and 6 cups (1.4 L) water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring now and then so the lentils don't catch on the bottom, until they collapse completely, about 20 minutes.
- Blend the soup smooth with an immersion blender, or in batches in a stand blender with the lid vented for steam. It should coat the back of a spoon like heavy cream; loosen it with hot water if it sits any thicker than that.
- Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and black pepper. Taste before reaching for anything else: the acid should make the soup taste finished, the way salt would.
- Ladle into bowls, scatter with parsley, and serve hot with lemon wedges alongside for squeezing.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 280 calories, 18 g protein, 9 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.
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.
