Middle Eastern lentil soup with pita bread

The North African spice ras el hanout makes this lentil soup slightly spicy, while the red lentils provide plenty of protein. Serve it with a dollop of soya yoghurt and warm pita bread for a filling and tasty meal. All you need is a few simple ingredients and 20 minutes of your time, so why not try it out?

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Servings: 4

1

onion
2 cloves

garlic
1

carrot
2 stalks

celery
3 tbsp

neutral oil
200 g

red lentils
1 tsp

Ras el Hanout spice
800 ml

vegetable broth
200 g

soya yoghurt
1 tsp

harissa paste
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp

lemon juice
4 pieces

pita bread

Instructions

Start by peeling the onion and garlic and chopping them finely.
Then peel the carrot and cut into thin slices.
Wash the celery and also cut it into thin slices.
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Brown the onion and garlic for 1 minute.
Add the lentils, carrot, celery, and ras el hanout spice and fry for 2 minutes, while stirring.
Deglaze the saucepan with the vegetable broth.
Stir in the yoghurt and harissa and cook for about 15 minutes.
When the lentils are soft, remove four tablespoons for garnish.
Puree the rest of the soup and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and season with harissa if desired.
Garnish the plates with the removed lentils and serve with pita bread.

Notes

As an alternative to ras el hanout, you could use garam masala spice mix. Ras el hanout is a North African spice mix of up to 25 different spices, including nutmeg, rosebuds, cinnamon, anise, and turmeric. It is ideal for couscous and other North African dishes.