About a month back, after dropping our son in a class, Vinodh and I, decided to settle in for sometime in a nearby restaurant to kill time and also catch up with my ramblings. It was a small cozy restaurant named Istanbul in Wanchai, HK. We ordered some soup and Lavash bread. The soup was mentioned in the menu as “legendary Turkish soup”. True to its name, the veggie soup was packed with so much flavor and was very clean tasting. They served the soup with a small lemon wedge and I felt that the citrus note really made the soup a dynamite. We loved it so much. We are soup people. We love soups. Its our favorite meal. We chatted for a while and ordered another soup and relished it. We just had a fantastic “our” time after a long long time. This soup is our new favorite. There is no extra added oil or fat in this recipe and that makes it so light. Serve with bread and enjoy!
This is my version of the Turkish red lentil soup. I have made it the OPOS (One Pot One Shot) way in the pressure cooker. The whole recipe can be put together in less than 15 minutes. This is just a very simple yet so flavorful recipe. Do try it out. Here is the recipe.
Add in all the ingredients in a pressure cooker and cook on medium flame for 5 whistles. It will take about 5-6 minutes. Switch off the flame and allow the pressure from the cooker to release naturally.
Blend the soup. Do not blend the soup to a fine paste. Grind to a slightly coarse consistency so there is texture in every bite. Add little hot water to thin the soup to a consistency that you may like. Turkish Red Lentil Soup is ready.
Garnish with mint leaves. Serve with bread and lemon wedges. Squeeze the lemon just before serving. I love that citrus note on my soup. Its truly soup love!
- ¼ Cup Split Red Lentils (Masoor Dal)
- 2 Tablespoon Broken Wheat (Daliya)
- 5 Cashewnuts
- 1 Medium Sized Red Onion, Chopped
- 1 Carrot, Chopped
- 1 Tomato, Chopped
- ½ of a Medium Sized Potato, Diced
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Paprika
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar (optional)
- 2 Sprigs Mint Leaves
- ½ inch piece ginger, peeled
- 2 Cups Water
- 2 Sprigs Mint Leaves, Chopped
- 4 Lemon Wedges
- Add in all the ingredients in a pressure cooker and cook on medium flame for 5 whistles. It will take about 5-6 minutes. Switch off the flame and allow the pressure from the cooker to release naturally.
- Blend the soup. Do not blend the soup to a fine paste. Grind to a slightly coarse consistency so there is texture in every bite. Add little hot water to thin the soup to a consistency that you may like. Turkish Red Lentil Soup is ready.
- Garnish with mint leaves. Serve with bread and lemon wedges. Squeeze the lemon just before serving.
The term OPOS and One Pot One Shot are registered trademarks owned by Mr.Ramakrishnan.
Kutty says
April 15, 2019 at 12:53 pmCame out very well. Thanks kc.
For croutons, just bought a kuboos (which is flat bread)and cut into wedges ND fried in oil.
Crispy croutons ready perfectly paired with this awesome soup.
A friend’s idea.
Suguna Vinodh says
April 17, 2019 at 5:48 pmThank you very much!
Hema says
December 5, 2018 at 7:51 pmHi. What size pressure cooker do you use for this recipe?
Suguna Vinodh says
December 6, 2018 at 1:29 pm2 or 3 liter cooker will work fine.
Sneha says
September 18, 2018 at 11:52 pmCan u plz reply..I so wanna try
Sneha says
September 18, 2018 at 12:17 amHi,
Looks so delicious,wanna try now..But don’t have red lentils..What other lentil can I use? Plz reply, I need to try now 🙂
Suguna Vinodh says
September 19, 2018 at 1:01 pmI have not tried with other lentils but I think split moong should work.
Sri says
October 7, 2017 at 1:36 pmWill daliya make a difference? I don’t have that but have everything else. Can I substitute with any other grain? As always I will skip the onions.
Suguna Vinodh says
October 7, 2017 at 2:14 pmYou may even use rice.
Prakhar Pandey says
December 21, 2016 at 1:29 pmit’s an amazing recipe .. Healthy yet filling , lived 3 months off it .
Spice it up by heating oil before kicking off and add crushed cloves , split green chillies , crushed garlic-ginger , saute briefly until the rawness disappears .
This tempering ramps up the taste quotient , then proceed with the standard recipe
Suguna Vinodh says
December 21, 2016 at 10:32 pmThank you!
Lalitha says
July 20, 2016 at 11:20 pmUr recipes r simple and instant hit! U also follows which also saves fuel and time
Lalitha says
July 20, 2016 at 11:21 pmU also follow opos whi
Suguna Vinodh says
July 21, 2016 at 9:00 amThank you!
Raji says
July 19, 2016 at 1:40 amAdd a mint tea bag while cooking.That would add a great flavor to that.I got that secret trick from my Turkish friend.
Suguna Vinodh says
July 19, 2016 at 9:31 amThats a nice trick Raji! Will try.