Spicy Red Lentil Soup
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 carrots, diced into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small head (or 1/2 large head) cabbage, chopped into small pieces
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
2 cups red lentils
1 tablespoon curry
2 teaspoons berbere spice
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Saute the onion until the onion is translucent. Add the carrots, garlic, and cabbage. Saute one minute. Add the vegetable broth, water, lentils, spices, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cover, simmering 2-3 hours until lentils are dissolved.
You can adjust the seasonings of this recipe to taste, adding more or less berbere spice if you prefer a spicier soup. If your local health food store doesn't carry a berbere spice mix, you can buy it here: http://monsooncoast.com/monsoon.html or make your own using this recipe:
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/11/ethiopian-inspired-red-lentil-soup.... (I was so pleased with the results I've made it several times over).
SO HOW'D IT GO?
If you make it again before I get a chance to, can you post a photo of it? It sounds awesome, but I would like to see the consistency of it when it's done. Is it soupy watery or does it get creamy?
Yes. You can just use curry instead of berbere spice. It just won't be a spicy soup, unless you use a spicy curry. If you want to you could also add elements of the berbere spice mixture to the soup, I'd probably go with a pinch (1/8 of a teaspoon or less) of each spice
The berbere spice mixture consists of:
1 Tbs. ground cardamom
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1 Tbs. fenugreek
1 Tbs. ground nutmeg
1 Tbs. ground cloves
1 Tbs. ground allspice
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1 Tbs. paprika
1 Tbs. turmeric
1 tsp. cayenne (use more to taste)
1 Tbs. ground black pepper
1 Tbs. ground sea salt (optional)
this soup sounds delish, but is there something i can sub for berbere spice other than making my own mix?