Lentil Soup Recipe with a Variety of DELICIOUS Toppings!

Instructions

1. Rinse the lentils for about two minutes under cold running water to remove any excess dirt and starch.
2. Place the lentils and onion in a medium-sized pot and fill with the water.
3. Boil for 10-15 minutes until it becomes a thick puree.
4. Collect the white foam forming on top while boiling. This foam gives the soup a greyish color and makes it harder to digest.
5. To make the meyane (roux), melt the butter in a pan and add the flour.
6. Cook for a couple of minutes until it smells like roasted nuts and becomes light brown.
7. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and whisk constantly.
8. Add the mixture to the soup and season with the salt.
9. Lastly, blend the soup with an immersion blender till the texture becomes creamy and smooth.
10. Your velvety lentil soup is ready and it is such a good base that you can top it with many things and turn the soup into an incredible meal. For the classical one, top with red pepper flakes and squeeze some lemon. In Cyprus, it is really common -and delicious- to add black olives to soup, and adding croutons is always a good idea. You can always sprinkle some roasted kadayif instead of croutons. If you want your soup as a main coarse, top it with some meatballs, red beans, and coriander. For a lighter version, salad, croutons, and some sesame seeds would be great! Last but not least, Bahar’s favorite - yogurt, black pepper, red pepper, olives, and parsley