This recipe is warming and flavourful, an easy way to make soup at home. It’s nourishing by including protein from the lentils and chickpeas to help with skin and muscle health. The calcium, for bone health, is mainly from the crème fraiche plus a little from the lentils and chickpeas.
Soups are also hydrating which aid with keeping our skin and urinary system healthy. Make this dish your own by making tweaks to your preference e.g. whole milk instead of coconut milk, swap half the red lentils for green lentils, blending the soup after cooking to make it smooth, add a sprinkle of sliced chillis after serving, or add in baby spinach in the last minute of cooking. *You can make this vegan by using vegan stock cubes. Some vegan crème fraiche brands also have added calcium.
- Serves: 2
- Time to prep: 20 minutes
- Time to cook: 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 small red onion
- 1 thumbsize piece of ginger
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1⁄2 tsp ras el hanout
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1⁄4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1⁄4 tsp ground cumin
- 500ml of vegetable stock*
- 120g dried red split lentil
- 130g of tinned chickpeas
- 200g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 200ml of tinned coconut milk
- 1⁄2 bunch coriander
- 100g crème fraiche*
- 1 lemon
- Salt
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Salt / Pepper to taste
Method
- Mince the garlic and ginger, dice the red onion, carrot, celery, and finely chop the coriander.
- In a saucepan over a medium heat, add a little oil and gently fry all the vegetables until soft but not coloured.
- To the same pan, add all the spices and cook them for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, stock and red lentils, bring to the boil and reduce to simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft.
- Add the chickpeas (previously drained and rinsed), coconut milk, the juice of the lemon, 1⁄2 of the chopped coriander and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Season to taste then serve in bowls. Sprinkle over the remaining coriander and drizzle over the crème fraiche if using.
To make stock from scratch:
- Roughly chop 1kg of vegetables (2 carrots, 2 onions, 1 garlic, 2 celery sticks, 1 leek, 200g button mushrooms).
- In a large saucepan, add all the vegetables and cover with water.
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
- When ready, pass the liquid through a sieve and store until needed.
- It keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 3 months.