Dec 23, 2009

Rustic three lentils vegetable soup

I am a creature of habit when it comes to ordering food at tried and tested restaurants. So when I stumbled into Corner Bakery the other day I surprised myself by ordering their three lentils vegetable soup instead of my regular roasted red tomato soup.
In retrospect, I am inclined to believe my decision was a result of half a day of fasting for my annual physical and having finished the last of my big pot of gingered tomato carrot soup the previous day.

I was surprised to find that the three lentil soup was a happy combination of lentils, carrots, spinach and corn. It warmed up a famished girl on a cool, breezy day while catching up with her gal pal, Erin.
I am usually happy to leave the making of a restaurant soup to a restaurant but there was something about this soup that tickled my taste buds and made me want another bowl the very next day. Since I had no plans to drive 10 miles to the bakery and pay $3 for a bowl of soup, I decided to make my own.

I decided to start with split and whole red lentils (masoor) since they cook quickly. I added some solitary green lentils sitting in my pantry to complete the trio. Some onion, kale, carrots, corn, mushrooms and tomatoes later, I had my big pot of three lentils soup with vegetables.
A friend’s visiting Dutch in-laws tasted the soup and said it was a “meal soup” because it was so hearty and filling. This is a free for all soup, so feel free to add any veggies or greens of your choice. I have added spinach instead of kale on occasions as well as cooked garbanzo beans and it still tastes great.

I have also made it using just two lentils (split and whole masoor) and it still tastes great. Here’s my version of Corner Bakery’s Three Lentil Soup.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup split red lentils (masoor)
1/3 cup whole red lentils (masoor)
1/3 cup whole green lentils (optional)
1 big onion, chopped roughly
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 big tomato, chopped
1-2 carrots, peeled and diced small
½ cup of mushrooms, chopped (any kind)
1/2 bunch of spinach or 2-3 big leaves of kale, chopped fine
1/4 cup of corn kernels
2-4 cups of vegetable/ chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Combine and wash all the lentils and keep aside.
In a big pot, heat some olive oil and sauté the chopped onions, carrots and garlic till the onions turn translucent.
Add the mushrooms and some salt. Sauté the mushrooms till they get soft, a few minutes, before adding the tomatoes. Cover and let them get mushy. Add the lentils, spinach, corn and broth.
Adjust the salt and pepper and bring to a rapid boil.
        
Lower the heat and simmer till the carrots are tender and the lentils, spinach and corn are cooked through, about 30 minutes. I like my soup thick so I keep simmering it at medium heat till the split lentils are first mushy and then completely disintegrate.

Note: Add water in the absence of broth.
This hearty, filling soup goes to MLLA 18, hosted by Srivalli and the brainchild of Susan.

23 comments:

  1. Hi:)
    Yaja, i would just like to wish you and your family a MERRY CHRISTMAS:)
    From Oslo, have a wonderful Christmas:)
    SP

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  2. Hi;)
    Sorry about the spelling mistake, i know your name is Jaya:)

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  3. aah..such a heart-warming soup Jaya ! Ive tried it with the lentil mix we get in the HT here but your looks more appealing!! Definitely will give it a try soon..

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  4. Wow...that's an healthy and yummy soup.....

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  5. Lovely Delicious Soup.. esp. with the chill approaching!

    Happy Holidays to you and family :D
    Hugs
    Soma

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  6. Ahhhh..so you are one of "those" smartypants who can re-create restaurant dishes in a flash...yummy soup. Looks very filling too.

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  7. P.S. Please stop by, I have an Xmas bloggie gift for you...wink...wink....

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  8. Hi Jaya, wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year. Enjoy your holidays.
    I have always enjoyed hearty soups and this looks just perfect.

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  9. m sure it wud b tasty and very healthy too....

    MERRY CHRISTMAS N HAPPY A NEW YEAR

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  10. I rarely make soup but I made some Tom Yum today to get rid of a few things. I keep thinking I must make this before the 'winter' we have is over, but I just don't seem to make any! This looks good - one more in my list of must-make-but-rarely-made :-D Sigh!

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  11. Merry Christmas to you too SP.

    Glad you liked it Dips. Let me know how it turns out.

    Thank you KF and Soma. Happy new year to the two of you too.

    Ann, no, I am not the smarty pants in recreating. This was the only success story I could blog about. :)

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  12. Thank you Pari and Shruti. The two of you have a Happy New Year too.

    Sra, I would love to try out your Tom Yum recipe. Haven't had that soup in years.

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  13. This lentil soup is one of my favorites! Though I haven't used green lentils before.. I should try them soon. Happy holidays to you too!

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  14. Looks so good Jaya. The next time I go to Corner Bakery I will definitely order this. Somehow warm lentils in form of soup gives me a cosy feeling during winters.
    I must have missed the little champs birthday. Do give him a big hug on our behalf :-)

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  15. Jaya, Happy holidays to you and yours!

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  16. Im really not a soup person...its not something we are accustomed to..but all these soups in ur blog make me wonder if im missing out on something....
    Merry Christmas....
    btw have posted the ladies coupe review....

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  17. This is my fave kinda soup , i add some barley n herbs too..your soup looks very very inviting n i want to make it right now..
    Are those green lentils available in India ??
    Yesterday i made bathua , matar n two lentils soup yummy...free for all soup, rightly said..
    wishing you for a happy new year ahead...

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  18. Guess waht I ordered when we went to Corner Bakery today? "grinning from ear to ear". You know, I did not even squint through the big menu board, did not even discuss with DH, and ordered in less than a second. Of course, I ignored all those stares from DH.
    Loved that soup with that bread. I am definitely trying your recipe sometime soon.

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  19. fry some mutton with bones in butter with fresh ginger garlic paste and whole garam masala and cook along with yr recipe, it will
    give it more dimension plus nutrition.

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  20. I had the same soup at CB and when I came back from lunch, googled for the recipe and stumbled onto your blog ! I am so glad I did ...I liked the recipe as well as your style of writing :) ...Am going to keep coming back for more !

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  21. I was searching for a copy-cat recipe for Corner Bakery's lentil soup, and came across your recipe. I just made it today and it was delicious! My new favorite soup -- Thank you!!! -Angie

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  22. Could this recipe be cooked in a slow cooker without much modification? I'm just unsure if I need to saute the onions, etc. if they are going to be cooking for 6-8 hours.

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