Lemon, red lentil and pumpkin soup. Photo / Babiche Martens
Lemon, red lentil and pumpkin soup. Photo / Babiche Martens
Serves 4
3 onions - 1 for the soup and 2 for the garnish 1 Tbs butter 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 Tbs fresh ginger, finely chopped 3 tsp palm or brown sugar 200g red lentils 1 1/2 litres water 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp ground turmeric 1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated 3 lemons - 2 zested and juiced,one to serve 250g pumpkin Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbs vegetable oil Roti and coriander to serve Yoghurt if desired
1 Peel and slice the onions. Set two of them aside. Heat the butter in a large saucepan and add one onion. Stir and add 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped with the ginger, sugar and the lentils.
2 Pour over 1 1/2 litres of water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Stir in the chilli, turmeric and nutmeg with the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Cook for approximately 30 minutes.
3 In a second saucepan, boil the chunks of peeled pumpkin until soft, then drain and mash them roughly. Add to the lentils and stir well. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
4 Heat the vegetable oil in a fry pan then add the remaining onion and garlic. Fry until completely soft and golden. Add the remaining lemon zest and juice, continue cooking until deep brown.
5 Serve the soup in warm bowls with the onions on top, yoghurt if desired, a generous amount of coriander and roti or naan bread on the side.
