Feel Good: Carrot and Red Lentil Soup with a Hint of Cumin

 

It’s been fairly quite around here, I know. I’ve been feeling rather low and a funny kind of flu seems to have taken hold of me. I say funny because it’s not a full blown flu – it seems it’s fighting inside of me. It wants to come out but I am fighting to banish it from taking control. This is taking away a lot of energy and I’ve been feeling a bit drained.

However, my spirit is still strong and I refuse to really rest. What can I say I am stubborn! I am not very good at being sick. While Tom gets totally exasperated by telling me to stay in bed, take a hot bath, drink tea, I will sneak into the kitchen when he’s not around and begin to put a few new flavor ideas together. There are so many things to do and I constantly have the feeling I am missing something if I stay in bed too long.

Our CSA season is almost coming to an end for the year. We’ve really been enjoying the fine produce that’s been delivered right to our doorsteps every week. Especially the lovely variety of fresh Fall vegetables. Beets, turnips, cabbage and a wide array of root vegetables have been used in a variety of ways for the past couple of months. I do hope I get a chance to share some of the dishes I have made.

One of the things that we’ve really loved this Fall were the amazingly sweet and juicy rainbow carrots that came in the box every week. They did not last very long, as they disappeared before I could even plan to make anything with them. They were mostly crunched on raw or sliced into salads. 

I literally had to hide this bunch as I was so desperately craving a thick healthy soup last week. It couldn’t be easier to make. Automatically I reached for Indian flavors, adding some red lentils and a good sprinkle of black cumin seeds. I usually tend to do this when I am feeling down. Somehow the flavors of “home” make me feel a little better.

The red lentils or “masoor dal” in India, are one of my favorites types of lentils. I like the fact that they seem to be very versatile and are cooked very quickly. I call it a “no fuss” dal as it can be paired with several different ingredients and plays off the flavors perfectly. In this soup it offered a wonderful nutty balance to the sweet carrots.

Carrot & Red Lentil Soup with a Hint of Cumin

Printable version of recipe here.

Ingredients

650g carrots, grated
150g red lentils, washed
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons black cumin seeds
1 liter vegetable stock
125 ml cream
sprinkling of dried chili flakes
a good glug of peanut oil
salt and pepper
handful of coriander leaves, coarsely chopped

Method

1. In a non-stick frying pan, dry roast the cumin seeds until they begin to pop in the pan – approx. 1-2 minutes. Remove about 1 tablespoon and set aside.
   
   
2. In a large pot heat up the glug of peanut oil and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the cumin seeds and chili flakes, ten add the carrots and lentils and mix. Finally add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approx. 15 minutes. The lentils should be soft and swollen.
   
   
3. Remove from heat and add the cream, then purée the soup with a hand held purée machine or in a blender until smooth. Place back on the heat and allow the soup to heat through again but do not let it boil. Season to taste and serve with a sprinkling of coriander leaves and the remaining roasted cumin seeds.

Serve the soup with a dollop of fresh natural yogurt and some naan bread.

The soup is fairly thick but if you prefer it thinner just add some more vegetable stock. Make sure to taste it before you season it though as the stock can be fairly salty.

 

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Verdict

Ummm! This soup gave me the needed energy for my restless being! It comforted and soothed every ailing spot. Tom and Soeren indulged into the soup with a hearty appetite. For them I added a little handful of crispy fried bacon. The sweetness of the carrots came through quite distinctively but the nuttiness of the lentils balanced it out making this soup just perfect for a cold Fall day when the energy levels are low.

You might like these hearty soups from WFLH:

Chestnut Potato Soup	Mushroom Cream Soup with Thyme Parmesan Chips	Tuscan Tomato and Bread Soup

 

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