Supporters of healthy eating have long appreciated the benefits of lentil dishes. They are useful, contain a lot of vegetable protein, relatively quickly and easily cooked. Lentil cream soup came to us from the East and became extremely popular. Its appetizing color, delicate creamy consistency, soft taste with subtle nutty notes can hardly leave anyone indifferent. The calorie content of most dishes of this category is small, which allows you to include them in the menu, even for those who follow a diet for weight loss.
Cooking Features
Despite the fact that lentils are gaining more and more admirers, for many housewives she remains an unfamiliar product. The technology of making soup-puree from it is not very complex, but requires some explanation.
- There are several varieties of lentils, but not all of them are suitable for cooking soup. Most often for cooking first dishes use red lentils. If the soup should have a creamy consistency, then yellow lentils, which are well boiled soft, will do.
- The cooking time for lentils depends on its grade. Usually red lentils are boiled for 10-15 minutes, yellow - for 15-20 minutes. When it comes to cooking cream soup, cooking time is advisable to increase by 5-10 minutes.
- Some chefs advise you to pre-soak the lentils in order to reduce the cooking time of the soup. There is no great need for this, since the lentil varieties suitable for the soup are boiled out quickly without that, reducing cooking by 5 minutes is unlikely to be a significant bonus for the chef for extra trouble.
- Wash the lentils thoroughly before cooking the soup, otherwise the taste may be slightly distorted and less pleasant.
- The lentil soup is boiled with a lot of spices and spices. This is explained by the origin of the dish: its homeland is the East. If you do not like soups with a savory taste, you can choose a softer and more refined version of lentil soup - with cream and a minimum amount of seasonings.
- To make the lentil soup puree more tender consistency, you can add potatoes to it or increase its quantity if it is already included in the recipe. It will have a minimal effect on the taste of the finished dish, it will only affect its thickness.
The lentil soup is usually seasoned with tomato paste or spicy sauce, but it will be no less tasty if you add a spoonful of sour cream. Croutons and fresh greens, moreover, will not be superfluous.
Red Lentil Cream Soup
Composition:
- red lentils - 0, 2 kg;
- potatoes - 0, 2 kg;
- onions - 100 g;
- lemon - 0, 5 pcs .;
- tomato paste - 60 ml;
- red pepper - a pinch;
- black ground pepper - a pinch;
- vegetable oil - 20 ml;
- water - 1, 25-1, 5 l;
- salt - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Rinse lentils in two or three waters, put in a saucepan, cover with water and send to the stove.
- Peel and coarsely rub potatoes.
- Free the onions from the husk, cut into small pieces.
- Heat oil in a pan, put onion in it, fry until golden brown.
- Add the tomato paste, pass until it turns orange.
- Boil lentils for 20 minutes after the water boils.
- Add grated potatoes to it and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Put the sauté in the soup, continue cooking for 5 minutes.
- Turn the soup into a puree using a conventional or submersible blender.
- Squeeze half a lemon in the soup, add spices and salt, mix.
- Bring to a boil and, stirring, boil for 5 minutes.
Lentil soup prepared according to this recipe has an appetizing red color and a delicate creamy consistency. Its taste will not seem too specific to you, even if you have never had to try lentil dishes before.
Yellow Lentil Cream Soup
Composition:
- carrots - 100 g;
- onions - 100 g;
- yellow lentils - 0, 2 kg;
- tomatoes - 0, 2 kg;
- garlic - 4 cloves;
- potatoes - 0, 3 kg;
- water - 1, 5 l;
- vegetable oil or cream - how much will leave;
- salt, spices - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Pour the washed lentils with water and cook for 20 minutes after boiling.
- Add the peeled and diced potatoes, continue cooking until the potatoes are soft.
- Dip the tomatoes with boiling water, peel, remove seeds with a spoon.
- Cut the tomato pulp into small pieces.
- Free from the husk and cut the onion into small cubes.
- Chop garlic cloves with a knife.
- Carrots, peeled, coarsely grated.
- Heat the oil and place the onions and carrots in it. Cook them until soft.
- Add garlic, continue frying vegetables for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomato pulp and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer the vegetables from the pan to the soup.
- Cook the soup for another 5 minutes, chop the ingredients in a blender.
- Return to the stove and boil, stirring for 5 minutes.
It is recommended to serve the soup prepared according to this recipe with croutons. Its taste depends largely on what kind of spices you use.
Turkish lentil cream soup
Composition:
- red lentils - 0, 2 kg;
- water or vegetable broth - 1 l;
- carrots - 100 g;
- onions - 100 g;
- vegetable oil - how much will leave;
- mint - 20 g;
- flour - 20 g;
- paprika, cumin, salt - to taste;
- tomato paste - 40 ml;
- lemon juice - 10 ml.
Method of preparation:
- Wash and peel vegetables. Coarsely carrot, onion cut into small cubes.
- Finely chop the mint with a knife.
- Place lentils in a strainer and rinse well under running water.
- Heat the butter on the bottom of the pan and put chopped onions and carrots in it.
- Roll vegetables until soft, then add tomato paste and spices to them.
- Continue steaming for 5 minutes.
- Add flour and mint, pass over 2-3 more minutes.
- Add lentils, cover with water or broth. Mix well.
- Boil until lentils are completely soft. It will take 20-25 minutes.
- Grind the contents of the pan using an immersion blender.
- Bring to a boil again and boil for 2-3 minutes.
Pour some lemon juice into each plate, then fill it with soup. Mint, caraway, paprika and lemon juice make the lentil soup taste unique. Its aroma is unlikely to leave you indifferent.
Lentil cream soup with cream
Composition:
- red lentils - 0, 3 kg;
- water - 1 l;
- butter - 40 g;
- carrots - 100 g;
- onions - 100 g;
- cream - 0, 2 l;
- salt - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Rinse the lentils.
- Peel and chop the onion in small pieces.
- Chop grated carrots.
- Melt the butter, put the vegetables in it and pass over for 5 minutes.
- Add lentils, cover with water. Boil until the main ingredient is ready.
- Grind the soup with a blender, add some salt, pour in the cream.
- Put on a slow fire and bring to a boil.
Lentil soup, cooked according to this recipe, has a delicate texture and a soft creamy taste. According to the same recipe you can cook a similar dish of yellow lentils.
Lentil soup is made thick and nourishing. Spicy taste of the dish will appeal to lovers of Oriental cuisine. Many of the lentil soup recipes are suitable for vegetarian and lenten menus, as well as for dietetic food.
