Red Lentil and Broccoli Soup (Middle Eastern)

There are many of recipes for Middle Eastern lentil soup. I wanted to make this one a bit special and I found that the broccoli provide the perfect counterpoint to the red lentils in terms of colour, texture and taste. This dish is great on cold winter’s nights.

Ingredients

2 cups red lentils

3 cloves garlic

2 cups of broccoli (cut into bite size pieces)

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp  cumin seeds

1 tbsp olive oil

Vegetable stock (about 500 cl)

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup coriander leaves (roughly chopped)

Harissa sauce.

Method

1.     Wash the lentils and remove any stones

2.     Place the lentils in a pot with the vegetable stock and simmer for 40 minutes (stirring occasionally and adding more stock if needed)

3.     Dry roast the cumin and coriander seeds and then grind them into a paste with the garlic (using a pestle and mortar). Then fry in olive oil for 1 - 2 minutes. Once golden, add to the lentils.

4.     At this point, to obtain a smoother texture you may blend some or all of the lentils.

5.     Add the broccoli and simmer for around another 5 minutes (the broccoli should be cooked but not mushy)

6.     Season with salt and pepper (you may not need too much salt depending on the saltiness of the stock that was used).

7.     Serve with the coriander on top and harrisa sauce on the side.

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main course.