Red Lentil Soup

So last week my mom bought about 2lbs of red lentils from this indian store down the street from my house. She wanted me to make lentil soup and bugged me until I did. Well I obviously had leftover lentils so she asked me to make it "for your father" which interprets "I want you to make it really for me!!!" so being to the good daughter that I am (HA!) I hunted around for a good red lentil soup. I should have known that I would find it in my own 'backyard' group of bloggers. I made it and YUM-O! I still don't get why red lentils turn yellow!!! And I'm still trying to get my lentils not to mush up on me but this soup was still really REALLY good. It was super quick to make and has a suttle heat-kick to it with the red pepper flakes.



Red Lentil Soup
Adapted from Cream Puffs in Venice


2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
8 cups vegetable stock
1-3/4 cups dried red lentils
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery leaves
1/2 teaspoon red chile pepper flakes (use less if you don't like spicy food; use more if you do!)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2-1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon black pepper



Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the vegetable stock, the lentils, carrots, celery leaves and red chile pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.

Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are cooked. Stir occasionally.

Once the lentils are cooked, add the lemon juice. Mix well. Taste and season with salt and pepper according to your own preferences. Serve the soup with lemon wedges.

Note: Serves 4 to 6 people