Spicy lentil soup

1001 Recipes p23

Serves 4 as starter / lunch, or 2–3 as dinner; cooking time 50–60 minutes.

125g red lentils
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 litre vegetable stock
350g can of sweetcorn, drained [soup works fine without this; there is just less of it]



Heat oil in saucepan and gently fry onion and garlic until softened but not browned.

Stir in cumin, coriander, garam masala, tomato puree and 4 tbsp of the stock. Mix well and simmer gently for 2 minutes.

Add lentils and pour in remaining stock. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour until the lentils are tender and the soup thickened.
[In practice, between 45 and 55 minutes is enough, depending on whether it is simmering directly on the hob or on a summer mat. If the former, make sure to stir every so often to avoid it sticking to the pan.]

Stir in the sweetcorn and heat through for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if required.

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