Spicy Carrot Soup with Red Lentils
Recipe for creamy carrot soup with red lentils and warm spices.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 650 g carrots, peeled and cut into smaller pieces
- 250 g red lentils – dry weight
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
- 2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 1/2-1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced – taste it first*
- 800 ml stock, chicken or vegetable
- 100 ml whipping cream (38% fat)
- 1/2 lemon, juice of
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- Salt and pepper
- Oil
To serve
- Croutons or crispy bacon
- Finely chopped parsley
- Chilli flakes
- Crème fraîche
Instructions
- Heat a generous glug of oil in a large saucepan and sauté all the vegetables for about 5 minutes over a medium heat.Taste the chilli before adding all of it, and decide for yourself whether to include the seeds, depending on how hot you want the soup.
- Add the spices, season with salt and pepper, and fry for another minute or so.
- Rinse the lentils thoroughly and add them to the pan along with the stock.Cover and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Add the cream and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.
- Blend the soup until smooth, and season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. You can use a stick blender, but it will not get the soup 100% smooth. I would therefore recommend a jug blender for a completely smooth and creamy soup.Adjust the consistency of the soup too if you find it too thick. The thickness can vary depending on how large the pieces of carrot were, and whether the soup has therefore cooked for longer than described. Add stock or water until you reach the consistency you want, but make sure it stays on the thick and creamy side.
- Top your carrot soup with crispy croutons or fried bacon, crème fraîche, chilli flakes and plenty of finely chopped parsley.