Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Bulgur

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make Turkish red lentil soup with bulgur? Very easily. First, gather the ingredients. If you don't have dried paprika flakes, use ground paprika instead.

2. Step 2:

   

   Rinse the lentils and bulgur thoroughly, separately, in cold water until the water runs clear.

3. Step 3:

   

   Put the lentils in a pot. Cover them with clean water or vegetable broth.

4. Step 4:

   

   Set the pot over medium heat and bring the broth to a boil, skimming off the foam that rises. Once the soup boils, add the bulgur, dried paprika, and allspice. Cover the pot and cook the soup over moderate heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Step 5:

   

   Peel the onion and cut it into small cubes.

6. Step 6:

   

   Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent.

7. Step 7:

   

   Add the tomato paste to the onion and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. If you don't have tomato paste on hand, you can use ketchup or fresh tomatoes peeled and grated on a fine grater into a purée.

8. Step 8:

   

   Transfer the sauté to the pot of soup. Add the dried mint and stir.

9. Step 9:

   

   Cook the soup, covered, over low heat until the bulgur and lentils are soft. Salt the soup to taste.

10. Step 10:

    

    Ladle the finished soup into bowls, sprinkle with chopped herbs such as cilantro, and serve. Worth noting: by the second day, the bulgur swells a lot and soaks up almost all the broth, so this soup isn't one to make ahead in bulk. Or add half again as much broth from the start. Enjoy!