Mercimek Çorbası

Ingredients

• 250 g red lentils
• 1 large onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 medium potato
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp mint
• 1 tsp paprika
• 30 g butter
• 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Steps

1. Sauté the diced onion, carrot, and potato in olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and tomato paste, cook 1 minute until fragrant and the paste darkens slightly.
3. Add the rinsed red lentils, cumin, and 1.2 liters of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then simmer 25 minutes until the lentils dissolve.
5. Blend until completely smooth with an immersion blender.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Make the paprika butter: melt butter with paprika and dried mint in a small pan until foaming and fragrant.
8. Serve the soup with a swirl of paprika butter and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice.