Mercimek çorbası is a soup for when you want something warm and completely undemanding: a handful of pantry staples, one pot, and about twenty-five minutes to dinner.
Turkish red lentil soup shows up on nearly every meze table alongside dishes like menemen and çoban salatası (recipes on the site), but it’s substantial enough to stand entirely on its own with just a wedge of lemon and some warm bread.
It is a staple of Turkish home cooking and lokantas, served with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of paprika butter.
Mercimek Çorbası Recipe
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- For the topping:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika or Aleppo pepper
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Cook along
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil or butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook until softened, about 6 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, and paprika; cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the rinsed lentils and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered 20 to 25 minutes, until the lentils and carrot are very soft.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth (or blend in batches in a stand blender), adding a splash of water or broth if it’s too thick.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a small pan, melt the butter with the paprika until it sizzles and turns fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with the paprika butter, and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.
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