Turkish

Mercimek Çorbası

Turkish red lentil soup

A smooth Turkish red lentil soup with onion, carrot, tomato, cumin and a buttery paprika finish.

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Prep10 minsCook35 minsServes4DifficultyEasy
Mercimek Çorbası served in a rustic Mediterranean setting

Bright, satisfying and built for real life.

This recipe brings together the generous flavours of Turkish cooking in a format that works on a busy day. Read through the method before starting and adjust seasoning to your taste.

The recipe

Mercimek Çorbası

10 min prep35 min cook45 min total4 servings
Scale:

Ingredients

Main

Method

  1. 1

    Soften the onion and carrot in half the butter, then stir in tomato paste and cumin.

  2. 2

    Add lentils, potato and stock and simmer until everything is very tender.

  3. 3

    Blend until smooth and adjust the consistency with hot water.

  4. 4

    Melt the remaining butter with paprika, spoon it over the soup and serve with lemon.

Mercimek çorbası is a widely loved Turkish red lentil soup, commonly served smooth with lemon and paprika butter.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Freezing

Freeze only when the finished texture remains suitable; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Reheating

Reheat gently until piping hot throughout, unless the dish is intended to be served chilled or at room temperature.

Keep cooking

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