Mercimek Çorbası — Print Recipe

A velvety crimson soup of red lentils simmered with onion, carrot, and warm spices, finished with a drizzle of paprika-infused butter and a squeeze of lemon.

Ingredients

250g red lentils, rinsed
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 medium potato, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1.5L vegetable broth
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp Turkish red pepper flakes (pul biber)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper
Fresh mint for garnish

Instructions

1 Sauté diced onion, carrot, and potato in olive oil for five minutes until softened and lightly golden around the edges.
2 Stir in tomato paste and cumin, cook one minute until fragrant and the paste darkens slightly in the hot oil.
3 Add rinsed red lentils and vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer twenty-five minutes uncovered.
4 Blend the soup until completely smooth using an immersion blender, then season generously with salt and black pepper.
5 Melt butter in a small pan, stir in pul biber and swirl for thirty seconds until the butter turns a vivid red.
6 Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle with paprika butter, squeeze lemon over each serving, and garnish with fresh mint.

Did You Know?

Mercimek çorbası is so ubiquitous in Turkey that refusing a bowl is considered mildly rude — it opens nearly every meal.