January Carrot and Red Lentil Soup with Cumin
Carrots and split red lentils make a thick winter soup without cream or a blender. Grate half the carrots so they soften into the broth, and dice the rest for spoonfuls with a little bite. This makes four bowls and takes about 40 minutes from chopping board to table.
Set out the ingredients
- 400 g carrots, trimmed and peeled; 1 medium onion; 2 garlic cloves
- 150 g dried split red lentils, rinsed in a fine sieve
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 litre low-salt vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste
Build the soup in one pot
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Coarsely grate half the carrots and cut the other half into roughly 1 cm cubes. Keeping those cubes small helps them finish cooking at about the same time as the lentils.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Soften the onion for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, cumin and paprika and stir for 30 seconds. If the spices start catching, add a splash of the measured stock.
- Add both lots of carrot, the lentils and the remaining stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook with the lid slightly ajar for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have broken down and a carrot cube crushes easily against the pan.
- Stir in the lemon juice off the heat. Taste before adding salt: even low-salt stocks vary. Ladle into warm bowls and serve with toast for dipping.
Adjust the last ladle
If the soup is too thick, add hot water a few tablespoons at a time. If it is thinner than you like, simmer uncovered for several minutes, stirring more often as it reduces. For a thicker texture without further reduction, crush a ladleful of the cooked carrots against the side of the pot and stir them back in. Serve with an extra squeeze of lemon if the cumin tastes flat.
