Lentil Spinach Soup
A nurturing, comforting and extremely nutritious lentil and spinach soup. Always on the menu in the Gulf region, whether it be homemade by the matriarch of the house or by chefs in local Middle Eastern restaurants and always a favourite recipe in any Arabic household.
6
10 minutes
45 minutes
Stove top cooking
Ingredients
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1 medium red onion- skin removed and thinly sliced
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4 cloves of garlic- skin removed and thinly sliced
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4 tbsp olive oil
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1 ½ heaped tsp cumin seeds- roughly ground
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250g lentils- brown, yellow or green, washed
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450g baby spinach leaves- fresh or frozen
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Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper- to taste
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1.75 litre of cold water
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2 bay leaves
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Garnish:
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Plain yoghurt spiced with sea salt and ½ tsp ground cumin
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Fresh lemon
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Black olives
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Harissa paste- hot chilli paste
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Arabic style bread
Instructions
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Make soup:
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01 In a large saucepan heat the oil. Add onion plus a pinch of salt and cook slowly until soft.
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02 Add garlic and cumin seeds and fry for a further minute.
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03 Now add lentils, water, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.
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04 Simmer gently for 20-30 minutes or until lentils soft.
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05 When lentils are soft, remove the bay leaves and lightly blend in a food processor.
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06 Pour back into the saucepan, now add the frozen spinach and adjust the seasoning.
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Serve:
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07 Ladle hot into pretty bowls and garnish with plenty of fresh lemon juice, the cumin flavoured yoghurt and a teaspoon or two of hot chilli Harissa paste.
Notes
If you prefer to use fresh spinach, please go ahead, and do not over puree this soup as it looks and tastes so much better if served slightly coarse in texture. The Harissa paste can be bought commercially.
