Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe — Mercimek Çorbası

US cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.

Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200 g) dried red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
• 1 tbsp (15 g) tomato paste
• 5 cups (1200 ml) vegetable stock, plus hot water as needed
• 0.5 tsp ground cumin
• 0.5 tsp fine salt, less if the stock is salty
• 1 tbsp (15 g) butter, or olive oil for a vegan finish
• 0.5 tsp pul biber or mild paprika
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

How to make Mercimek Çorbası

1. Soften the vegetables

   Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring, until the onion softens. Stir in the tomato paste and cumin for 1 minute.

2. Simmer the lentils

   Add the rinsed lentils, stock and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 20–25 minutes. Stir occasionally. The lentils should fall apart easily and the carrot should be completely tender.

3. Blend until smooth

   Take the pan off the heat. Blend carefully with an immersion blender, keeping the blade submerged to avoid splashes. Add hot water a little at a time if the soup is too thick. Taste and adjust the salt.

4. Finish and serve

   Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. Stir in the pul biber for about 15 seconds, then remove from the heat before the pepper burns. Spoon over the soup and serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-red-lentil-soup-mercimek-corbasi. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.