This is the most common of Turkish dishes served all day long, even for breakfast.
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 95g (½ cup) dried apricots, cut into quarters
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 (400g) tin (can) chopped tomatoes
- 135g (2/3 cup) dried red lentils
- 1 litre (4 ¼ cups) vegetable broth, warmed
- 10 thyme sprigs, only leaves
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and turn sweet, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic, apricots, and cumin seeds; cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and the juices from the can, stir well.
- Add the lentils, pour in the broth, and increase the heat to medium-high. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low so the liquid is barely bubbling, taste and season. Cover and cook until the lentils are tender, 20 minutes.
- Stir in the thyme leaves and lemon juice, then remove from the heat.
- Use an immersion (stick) blender to blend about half the soup in the pot, leaving the rest to give the soup texture. (Alternatively, you can transfer half the soup to a blender, puree, and return it to the pot.) Add the salt and pepper, taste, and add more as needed.
- The soup can be made 2 days ahead, store in the fridge and warm through before serving. Serve hot.
