Curry Recipes Online

Curry Chat => Talk About Anything Other Than Curry => Topic started by: StoneCut on October 28, 2013, 09:36 PM

Title: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: StoneCut on October 28, 2013, 09:36 PM
This is a restaurant-quality recipe for a turkish lentil soup. There are likely as many variations of this soup as there are turks. You can tell you're in an authentic place if you see turks sitting there eating this soup. Can be used as a starter or main course. Consistency should be a lot like a cream of tomato soup.

Stage 1:
375g red lentils
2 onions, chopped
1 large potato, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp vegetable stock powder (or use 2 liters of vegetable stock instead of this and the water)
1 tsp black pepper, crushed
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 liters water

Stage 2:
1 Tbsp fresh mint, finelymchopped (or 1 heaped tsp dried mint, perfectly fine)
1/2 Tbsp fresh basil, finelymchopped
1/2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finelymchopped
2 1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 Tbsp sweet paprika powder
1/2 Tbsp hot paprika powder ('Pul Biber')
1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste (double concentrated)

Stage 3:
1 tsp cumim powder
2-3 tsp lemon or lime juice

Garnish (per plate/deep dish):
1 pinch of cumin
1 pinch of crushed chilli flakes
2 basil leaves

Stage 1:
Wash the lentils well using cold water. Peel and chop the potato, carrot, onions amd garlic.

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot and add the potato, carrot, onions, lentils and powdered vegetable stock (you can replace the water and powdered vegetable stock with 'proper' vegetable stock if you want, but the powdered stuff is fine). Once everything has come a boil again, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer with a lid on for 30 minutes. Stir often to avoid the lentils catching on the bottom of the pot.

Stage 2:
After 30 minutes, melt the butter in a frying pan and add the tomato paste, paprika powders as well as the basil and parsley. Keep stirring and fry it all for about 2-3 minutes to cook the rawness out of the tomato paste. Don't let it burn. Once done, add everything to the pot and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes. Then use an immersion/stick blender to blend the soup well.

Stage 3:
Add the cumin powder and lemon or lime juice and stir well.

Serve and Garnish
Finally, ladle soup into deep dishes and garnish with a pinch of cumin, a pinch of crushed chilli flakes and 2 leaves of basil. You can also add some more lemon or lime juice if you like.

Serve with flatbread or toast.

Please try it and let me know if you think it's as good or better as BIR dhal :)
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: Naga on October 28, 2013, 10:23 PM
Thanks for posting this recipe, StoneCut! I'm a big fan of soups so I'll definitely be giving this a go. Stage 1 is very like the sort of lentil soup I'd usually  make, albeit with ham hough for the stock, but I like the look of the additional, more "exotic" ingredients. I reckon, just reading over the recipe, that it'll be a real winter winner! :)
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: curryhell on October 28, 2013, 10:29 PM
Having just discovered that i like the flavour or dhall after trying Colin Grigson's authentic simple dhall recipe, this is definitely going on the radar Stonecut.  Thanks for the recipe  :D
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: StoneCut on October 28, 2013, 10:32 PM
Please give it a go and report back :) you can substitute the second 'hot' paprika with another 1/2 Tbsp of sweet paprika to make it kids-friendly.
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: loveitspicy on October 28, 2013, 11:10 PM
Superb

I will give it a try mate

best, Rich
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: Naga on November 09, 2013, 03:37 PM
I finally exhausted my plentiful supplies of Spicy Butternut and Carrot soup yesterday, so I set about making a batch of Mercimek Corbasi this afternoon.

I made it exactly to spec, although I did add 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper to season the soup. The only thing I wasn't clear on was when to add the fresh mint and I couldn't decide whether it should be cooked in or added at the end of the cooking time. In the end, I just chucked it in along with the other herbs.

(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/53313f0bdfd346b8eda7e364868e3d74.jpg)

It was very nice - different to a traditional Scottish lentil soup of course, and markedly different to the spiced carrot and lentil soup I make once or twice a month. The flavours melded together very well with no single flavour dominating the dish. If anything, it needed a bit more of kick for my tastes, so I'll add a good pinch of crushed chilli flakes at cooking time when I next make it. :)
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: StoneCut on November 12, 2013, 02:47 PM
The mint goes in together with the basil and parsley so you did it exactly right. I forgot that in the instructions, sorry!

Stage 1 already includes some salt & pepper but you can add more to taste, of course. As with anything, really.

Yes, it's pretty mild but if you can get "proper" Pul Biber (hot turkish paprika powder) then it can be fairly hot, depending on the brand. The easiest way to spice it up is to either use chilli flakes (as you figured) or just plain old cayenne pepper.

Anyway, I'm really glad you liked it :)
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: Naga on November 12, 2013, 03:38 PM
...Anyway, I'm really glad you liked it :)

It's an excellent soup, and the garnishes of cumin, chilli flakes and basil (and I added shredded fresh mint leaves!) took it to a whole new level. My good lady wife and I polished off the last of it for lunch today. Very nice! :)
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: chewytikka on November 12, 2013, 08:51 PM
I was a bit slow at figuring out what made this "Turkish"?
But obviously, explaining the hot Turkish Paprika powder (Pul Biber) being the key to it. I get it now!

I'm no stranger to Turkish Restaurants, but have to admit, I never took much notice of their soups.
We used to order a huge bin lid of Meze to kick the night off.

I'll give this soup a try, if I can source the genuine Paprika.

Thanks for sharing
cheers Chewy
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: Peripatetic Phil on November 12, 2013, 09:17 PM
I was a bit slow at figuring out what made this "Turkish"?

Well, perhaps the title ("Mercimek
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: curryhell on November 12, 2013, 10:18 PM
Well, perhaps the title ("Mercimek
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: artistpaul on November 12, 2013, 10:37 PM
I was a bit slow at figuring out what made this "Turkish"?
But obviously, explaining the hot Turkish Paprika powder (Pul Biber) being the key to it. I get it now!

I'm no stranger to Turkish Restaurants, but have to admit, I never took much notice of their soups.
We used to order a huge bin lid of Meze to kick the night off.

I'll give this soup a try, if I can source the genuine Paprika.

Thanks for sharing
cheers Chewy


Chewy

I live in Turkey

Pul Biber is not a Paprika, it is a Turkish semi hot slightly coarse red chilli flake.

Any decent  flaked chilli can substitute.

cheers

Paul
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: StoneCut on November 13, 2013, 04:22 PM
Hhhm, "pul biber" literally translates to "paprika flakes" if I'm not mistaken (well, that's what my turkish butcher told me) ... Anyway, there are different types of paprika, sweet and hot. Commercial Pul Biber is often a combination of paprika and chilli powder, though. One authentic product I have at home says that it's ingredients are paprika, salt, chili, vegetable oil. I brought it back from Turkey.

Either way, the Pul Biber is NOT essential for this dish. What makes this dish turkish? The combination of herbs & spices such as Cumin, mint and parsley. As well as the lemon/lime juice. They are all pretty universal, I know, but try it and then tell me if it tastes Indian in any way ;)
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: fried on November 13, 2013, 07:23 PM
Pul biber means literally ' crushed 'by hand' pepper'. There's no difference between paprika and chilli in Turkey (My missus' family's region) you just have different strengths of Pul Biber.
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: fried on November 13, 2013, 07:25 PM

I'll give this soup a try, if I can source the genuine Paprika.


If you PM me an address I'll send you some genuine samples ( I have about 3kg in the fridge!)
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: artistpaul on November 13, 2013, 11:44 PM
hi all

a lot of Turks do not understand or know the difference

Pul biber translates as flaked pepper in Turkish

Sweet paprika is Tatli kirimizi biber and Hot paprika is Acili kirimizi biber and both are ground always to a fine powder and only available that way here

Pul biber is a different animal coarsely ground to a flake and available in a variety of heats  depending on which region of Turkey the source material is obtained from


anyway
an easy Turk variation on this soup is called EZOGEL?N

exactly same mercimek recipe but reduce the lentils by 3 rounded tablespoons and substitute with 3 tbsps. 50/50 mixture of coarse Bulgur and brown or white Rice

however when cooked blend only 50% of the soup by removing half of it before blitzing leaving a nice satisfying hearty soup for winter

cheers all

Paul
Title: Re: Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish lentil soup)
Post by: chewytikka on November 14, 2013, 01:58 PM
Thanks for the offer Fried.

Made a SoupMaker version of this lentil soup. Had to tweak it to suit the method, using a full Red Capsicum
and Kashmiri Mirch for heat. Turned out well and similar to many lentil soups I make using Masoor Dhal.
In the pic, I did a Tarka of fresh Garlic and Chorizo, which complimented and lifted it up a level.
Nice light lunch, thanks for the inspiration StoneCut. ;)

(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/d50e05420a1aeffabb8f5fe885c3267f.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#d50e05420a1aeffabb8f5fe885c3267f.jpg)

cheers Chewy