Lentil and Chickpea Soup
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
 
Ingredients
  • 3 Tbles Olive Oil
  • 1 Large Onion, Finely Diced
  • 2 Medium Carrots, Finely Diced
  • 2 Celery Stalks, Finely Diced
  • 4 Cloves Garlic Minced
  • 2 Tsp Cumin
  • 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 2 Tsps Ground Ginger
  • 1 Tsp Tumeric
  • 1 Tsp Paprika
  • 1 Tsp Red Chilli Flakes
  • Good Pinch of Saffron (Infused in 1 Tbles of Hot Water)
  • 2 x 400 Gr Cans of Chickpeas
  • 1 Cup Green Lentils
  • 1 Cup Red Lentils
  • 4 Chopped Tomatoes
  • 2 Tbles Tomato Paste
  • 6 Cups of Vegetable Stock
  • ½ Cup Thin Pasta (Angel Hair), Broken in Quarters
  • 2 Tbles Fresh Parsley, Roughly Chopped
  • 2 Tbles Fresh Coriander, Roughly Chopped
  • Lemon Wedges to Serve
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  2. Cook the onion, carrot, celery and garlic stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened.
  3. Add the cumin, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, turmeric, paprika, red chilli flakes and saffron liquid. Stir thoroughly for about 1 minute then add the tomato paste and stir through for another minute.
  4. Stir in the chopped tomato, lentils and about 4 cups of vegetable stock. Cook, covered, on medium heat for about 30 minutes.
  5. After 30 minutes it may be necessary to add more liquid stock and the salt might need to be adjusted.
  6. Cook for another 20 minutes more on a gentle simmer, until the legumes are soft and creamy. It should be on the thick side, but with a pourable consistency. After 20 minutes add the chickpeas and simmer for about 10 minutes adding more stock or water if needed.
  7. Just before serving, add the angel hair pasta and let cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
  8. Ladle the hot soup into bowls, top each with some fresh parsley and coriander and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
If you make a big batch and plan to freeze some of it, then rather cook the pasta separately and add it in on serving.
Recipe by SAPeople South African Recipes at https://tastyrecipes.staging.sapeople.com/lentil-and-chickpea-soup/