Authentic Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Çorbası)

Instructions

1. Prep
   01

   Rinse the red lentils

   Tip the red lentils into a fine mesh sieve and give them a thorough wash under cold running tap water. Keep the water running until it pours out crystal clear, which rinses away the loose surface starch and keeps your pot from throwing up a ton of cloudy foam. Leave them in the sink to drain while you get your vegetables chopped and ready.

   02:00

   11 oz red lentilsFine mesh sieve
2. Cook
   02

   Build the aromatic base

   Warm the olive oil in a large pot set over medium heat. Toss in the diced yellow onion, carrot, and potato, letting them sweat gently until the onion turns tender and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook it for another minute so it loses that raw, tinny edge and deepens the sweetness of the vegetables.

   06:00

   3 tbsp olive oil1 yellow onion1 carrot1 potato1 tbsp tomato pasteLarge pot
3. 03

   Stir in the lentils and boil

   Tip the drained red lentils and the salt into the pot, turning everything over with a spoon so the grains get nicely coated in the warm oil and veg. Pour over your water (or broth if that is what you have), crank the heat to high, and bring it up to a rolling boil, scooping away any white foam that floats to the surface.

   11 oz red lentils2 tsp salt6 1/3 cup waterLarge pot
4. 04

   Simmer until fall-apart tender

   The second it reaches a boil, drop the heat to low, pop the lid on tight, and settle it into a calm simmer. Let everything bubble away for about 30 minutes, giving the bottom a scrape now and then so the lentils do not stick and scorch. You will know it is ready once the lentils have completely broken apart and a piece of carrot crushes effortlessly against the pot wall with a wooden spoon.

   30:00

   Large pot
5. Finish
   05

   Blend into a smooth puree

   Pull the pot off the burner and dip your immersion blender right into the soup to puree it all. Keep working the head around until the texture turns completely satiny and uniform, with zero rogue chunks left behind. If it looks a little thicker than you like, just loosen it with a splash of boiling water until it flows nicely, then give it a quick taste to see if it needs a pinch more salt.

   02:00

   Immersion blender
6. 06

   Sizzle the spiced butter

   Set a small skillet over medium-low heat and let the butter melt down until it begins foaming and crackling softly. Toss in the dried mint along with the Aleppo pepper, giving the pan a gentle swirl for roughly 30 seconds so the aromatics bloom and tint the butter a vibrant reddish-green. Dish the piping-hot soup into bowls and spoon that sizzling spiced butter straight over each portion before serving.

   01:00

   1 oz butter1 tbsp dried mint1 tsp Aleppo pepperSmall skillet