Turkish Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups red lentils
• 1 large potato, chopped
• 2 carrots
• 1 large onion
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper paste
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon hot chili (or hot pepper)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried mint
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter

Method

1. Place the butter in a pot over heat and add the garlic, carrots, onion, and potato; sauté the vegetables for a while.
2. Add the cleaned and washed lentils and continue stirring.
3. Cover all the vegetables with water and boil them for about an hour; blend the vegetables with an electric blender until you have a smooth mixture.
4. In a second pan heat the oil and fry the tomato paste and hot red pepper paste; when the mixture is sautéed, add it to the soup in the pot.
5. Add the salt, chili, dried mint, and cumin, re-blend all the ingredients with the blender, and let them simmer on low heat for a few minutes.
6. When serving the soup you can add a little lemon juice to each bowl according to taste.