Ingredients
- 1 large onion , finely chopped
- 2 fat garlic cloves , crushed
- 1 large carrot , finely chopped
- thumb-sized piece of ginger , peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp oil , sunflower, rapeseed or groundnut all work well
- ½ tsp turmeric
- seeds from 10 cardamom pods
- 1 tsp cumin , seeds or ground
- 100g red lentils
- 400ml can light coconut milk
- zest and juice 1 lemon
- pinch of chilli flakes
- handful of parsley or coriander, chopped
Method
- STEP 1
Put the onion, garlic, carrot and ginger into a saucepan, drizzle over the oil, and cook for a few mins to soften. Add the turmeric, cardamom and cumin. Stir well to combine, and cook gently for a few mins more, until the spices are aromatic.
- STEP 2
Add the lentils to the pan. Pour over the coconut milk, fill the can with water and add this too. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 mins until the lentils are soft and swollen but retain a little bite. Using a hand blender, pulse the soup until some is blended completely, leaving some larger vegetable chunks.
- STEP 3
Zest the lemon straight into the pan, then squeeze the juice over the soup and stir through with a pinch of salt, chilli and finely chopped herbs. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle over a little more lemon zest, if you like.
