Lemon Red Lentil Soup with Carrots

Ingredients

• Soup base

  240 g split red lentils

  dry weight before rinsing; pick over and drain well

• 30 g extra-virgin olive oil

  all for cooking; no extra finishing drizzle

• 180 g yellow onion

  peeled edible weight, finely diced

• 250 g carrots

  peeled and trimmed edible weight, cut into 5–7 mm dice

• 12 g garlic

  peeled, finely minced

• 25 g tomato paste

  plain concentrated paste

• 4 g ground cumin

  plain ground spice

• 3 g sweet paprika

  not hot or smoked paprika

• 400 g canned diced tomatoes

  with all their juice; no added salt

• 1000 g prepared vegetable broth

  ready to use, not concentrate; check label for allergens

• 250 g water

  plus up to 150 g extra only if needed to loosen

• 2 g fine salt

  measured amount; broth salt levels vary

• ½ g ground black pepper

  freshly ground or pre-ground

• Finish

  40 g lemon juice

  freshly squeezed and strained; weigh juice only, no wedges or zest

• 12 g flat-leaf parsley

  washed, dried and finely chopped; 8 g in pot and 4 g across four bowls

Directions

1. Prepare the vegetables and rinse the lentils

   Wash hands and rinse the carrots, lemon and parsley under running water before preparing them; do not use soap on produce. Peel and trim the onion and carrots, then weigh 180 g onion and 250 g carrot. Dice the onion finely and cut the carrot into 5–7 mm pieces so they soften in the simmering time. Mince 12 g peeled garlic. Pick over 240 g dry split red lentils, rinse in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs mostly clear and drain. Weigh 40 g strained lemon juice and 12 g chopped, dried parsley separately. Keep all seasonings measured and ready; no celery, potato or other vegetable is added.

2. Soften the onion and carrot, then add garlic

   Warm all 30 g olive oil in a 4–5 litre heavy pot over medium heat. Add the prepared onion and carrot and cook for about 7–8 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion is translucent and the carrots begin to soften. Avoid dark browning; lower the heat if the edges catch. Add all 12 g minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. The garlic should not burn. The entire oil allowance stays in the soup; do not add butter or an extra serving drizzle.

3. Cook the tomato paste and bloom the spices

   Add all 25 g tomato paste to the softened vegetables. Stir over medium-low heat for about 1 minute until it coats the vegetables and darkens slightly. Add 4 g ground cumin and 3 g sweet paprika and stir for a further 20–30 seconds. Keep the mixture moving so the paprika does not scorch. Have the canned tomatoes ready to stop this brief blooming stage. No chili, curry powder, cream, flour or sugar is used.

4. Add tomatoes, lentils and the measured liquid

   Stir in all 400 g no-added-salt canned diced tomatoes with their juice, scraping the bottom of the pot to release the cooked paste. Add the rinsed and drained red lentils. Pour in 1000 g ready-to-use vegetable broth and 250 g water. Stir in all 2 g fine salt and 0.5 g black pepper. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring to keep lentils from settling against the bottom. The broth is already diluted to drinking strength; do not use 1000 g concentrate.

5. Simmer until the lentils break down

   Reduce to a gentle simmer and set the lid partly ajar. Cook for about 20–25 minutes, stirring every few minutes and more often as the soup thickens. The red lentils should lose their firm centers and break down, and the largest carrot dice should be easy to squash with a fork. If either is still firm, continue in 3–5 minute intervals. Add extra water in 50 g portions only if needed to keep it spoonable, up to 150 g more. Red lentils cook differently from whole green or brown lentils, which are not a direct substitute here. No blender is needed; the cooked lentils provide the thick texture.

6. Finish with lemon and parsley, then serve

   Turn off the heat. Stir in all 40 g lemon juice, then 8 g of the chopped parsley. Divide the full pot evenly between four bowls and scatter the remaining 4 g parsley equally over them. Serve hot, without extra oil, cheese, cream, bread or lemon wedges in the measured recipe. For leftovers, divide promptly into small shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 32°C/90°F; do not leave the whole pot out to cool. Store at 4°C/40°F or below and use within 3–4 days, or freeze for up to 2–3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat with stirring to at least 74°C/165°F throughout and bring the soup to a boil; add a little water if it has thickened.