Super Simple Turkish Red Lentil Soup - Mercimek Çorbası

This is one of those soups I’ll never get tired of. Simple, comforting, and somehow always exactly what you need. Mercimek çorbası is a classic Turkish soup you’ll find everywhere. This version is the most basic version of the soup: we're only adding onions and red lentils.

Ingredients

✿ 1 large red onion

✿ 3 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for the topping)

✿ 1 cup red lentils (I used a 100 ml cup — total about 250 ml)

✿ 1 tbsp tomato paste (+ 1 tbsp tomato paste for the topping sauce)

✿ 1 - 2 tsp paprika powder

✿ 1-2 tsp Turkish red pepper flakes (pul biber)

✿ ½ tsp black pepper

✿ 1 tbsp dried mint

✿ 2.5 tsp salt (or to taste)

✿ 1-1.5 liters hot water (adjust to preferred thickness)

✿ Lemon, for serving

Instructions

1. Start by heating olive oil in a pot over medium heat.

2. Roughly chop the red onion. No need to be precise since we’ll blend everything later. Add it to the pot.

3. Let the onion soften, then add the red pepper paste. Cook for a minute and add a small splash of water to prevent sticking.

4. Wash the lentils really well, then add them to the pot and mix everything together.

5. Add salt, paprika powder, pul biber and black pepper. Stir, then pour in the hot water.

6. Let the soup cook until the lentils are completely soft.

7. Blend until smooth. If you prefer a thinner soup, add a bit more water and blend again.

8. In a small saucepan, heat a little olive oil with the tomato paste and dried mint. Cook briefly until fragrant and slightly darker in color.

9. Pour this mixture into the soup and mix well. And finallyyyy, don’t forget the most important ingredient: lemon! Serve the soup hot with plenty of lemon on the side and squeeze it in just before eating.