Seriously? Another lentil soup recipe? Yes, but we're not spamming - we promise! Because we've really noticed that the classic Turkish lentil soup in Germany and Austria often looks different to the one in Turkey. And even when we search for "Turkish lentil soup" on Google, we don't find the same soup as when we search for "mercimek corbasi", i.e. "lentil soup" in Turkish. That's why today we want to show you the classic Turkish lentil soup as it is served in Turkey.
That doesn't mean that your creamy orange lentil soup is Germanized. Not at all. Because Turkish households like to prepare it nice and orange and creamy. However, if you order lentil soup in Istanbul, you will get a yellow soup instead of an orange one. Of course, it's not just about the appearance, as the ingredients and taste are also different in this lentil soup recipe.
What is the difference between Turkish lentil soup in Germany and in Turkey?
The paprika and/or tomato paste! This is completely missing in the red lentil soup in Turkey and is also the reason for the different color. In addition, less attention is paid here to the butter with pul biber* and mint. A few dry chili flakes on top of the Turkish lentil soup are enough.
Regardless of this, the two lentil soups have a lot in common. Both are easy to prepare, healthy, vegan and simply delicious. What's more, in our opinion, you can never have enough Turkish lentil soup recipes in your repertoire. So one day you'll have this Turkish-style lentil soup, the next day the classic lentil soup with chili-mint butter and the next day a lentil soup with milk....we're in!
Tip: If you use chicken stock instead of water, the red lentil soup tastes even better.
Turkish lentil soup like in Turkey Recipe
Ingredients for approx. 1.5 liters
- 170 grams/ 6 oz red lentils
- 1 potato
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
To serve
- Pul Biber* or paprika powder
Preparation
Step 1: Dice the onion and fry it in the oil until translucent. Meanwhile, peel and chop the potato and carrot.
Step 2: Add the potato and carrot to the glazed onions. After about 3 minutes, add the lentils. Mix everything together and add 1.5 liters of water. Add salt and pepper to the soup and leave to cook with the lid off.
Step 3: Cook the soup until the lentils are done. When they are soft after about 20 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and mix the lentil soup. Serve the red lentil soup Turkish style with pul biber* (Turkish chili flakes) and lemon.
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