Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the most famous soup in Turkey? ›

Mercimek soup, known as Turkish lentil soup, is one of the most favored traditional soups in Türkiye. It's a very simple dish requiring only a few ingredients yet its taste is matchless! Lentils are legumes that are very high in fiber, are packed with vitamin B, and a great source of potassium.

The other good news: Lentils don't need to soak as beans do (though you do need to sort and rinse them before cooking). Different types of lentils cook in different amounts of time. Red lentils are the fastest cooking and they dissolve as they cook and make for a smooth soup.

Incorporating red lentils to your diet can help you easily meet your fiber and protein needs. Red lentils also contain a significant amount of folate, which is a superhero involved in cell division. If someone eating plant-based does not get enough folate, it can affect the way DNA is made in our body.

1> Rinse and soak: Before cooking, rinse the lentils thoroughly under cold water to remove any debris. Soaking them for a few hours or overnight can help reduce their cooking time and make them easier to digest. Soaking also helps to remove some of the compounds that can cause digestive discomfort.

According to the Taste Atlas Awards, the international food database, the Filipino favorite, Sinigang, is hailed as the best soup in the world.

Soaking dried beans and lentils before cooking is not always necessary, but it can help reduce cooking time and improve their digestibility. Here's what happens if you don't soak them: 1> Longer Cooking Time: Beans and lentils that haven't been soaked will generally take longer to cook compared to soaked ones.

Yes, you can overcook lentils; they will become mushy. Much depends on the type of lentil you're using. Some cook quicker and hold their shape better than others. To avoid overcooking them, always follow the cooking directions in your recipe and use the type of lentils called for in the ingredient list.

While it seems like an unnecessary step, don't skip rinsing your lentils and sifting through them before cooking to remove any stones or debris. It is rare to find stones, but it does happen.

Black Lentils (Beluga lentils)

Thanks to the robust flavor, these lentils pair well with meaty veggies and marinated proteins like mushrooms, tofu, and seitan. Best of all, black lentils are the most nutritious variety of lentils, boasting the highest amount of protein, plus high levels of calcium, potassium, and iron.

Eating half a cup of cooked lentils gives you lots of essential nutrients and their high fiber content makes you feel full. However, the fiber in lentils can be hard for your body to break down. Eating too many lentils can cause gas, bloating, and cramping.

Is chickpea or red lentil better? ›

Chickpea and lentils both only contain what scientists consider "good fats." Therefore, Chickpeas are better as they have more "good fats." Lentils have more dietary fiber than Chickpeas. Fiber is a strange nutrient. It doesn't provide calories and doesn't stick around your body.

Lentil extracts have shown antidiabetic properties, reaching maximum values of 94% for α-amylase inhibition (Ogunyemi et al., 2022). Moreover, lentils have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties with the potential of reducing the risk of heart disease and supporting overall health in diabetic patients.

Most people can enjoy lentils as part of their regular diet without any concern. But lentils also contain natural compounds called anti-nutrients. These substances bind with nutrients like iron and zinc, making them harder for our bodies to absorb. Soaking and cooking lentils can help reduce this effect.

Lentils are high in fiber, which supports regular bowel movements and the growth of healthy gut bacteria. Eating lentils can increase your stool weight and improve your overall gut function ( 5 ).

There are more than 300 kinds of soup in the Turkish cuisine.

In addition, a specialty soup doesn't require any meat on it; it can be made with fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Some examples are peanut soup, coconut soup, turtle soup, and curry soup.

Owan is a warm Japanese soup recipe made with dashi broth that can serve as a light cleanser between other courses. Learn how to make Japanese American Chef Niki Nakayama's owan bone broth soup.