If your goal is to eat healthier and chase away the winter blues, then this Lebanese brown lentil soup is for you. The pot of comfort is a warm welcome to the winter season and a piping hot bowl makes an ideal first course before a big meal, and it is totally Lebanese inspired comfort food!

Lebanese Brown Lentil Soup, Shorbat Adas Mamrouta

The recipe is my late my grandma’s! Granny or “Teta Roro”, as we used to call her, was known in her community as a highly skilled cook, there is something about her recipes that has stood the test of time, and this soup was one of her prized delicacies that showed up nearly at every extended family gathering; the reason behind her great recipes, is that they have been passed down through families.  While soup making can be an all-year activity, the high spot is Ramadan. One staple you will find at our family table during the holy month alongside “Split Lentil Soup with Vegetables“.  The flavors in this soup remind me of happy memories and all the amazing food she would cook for us! How incredibly delicious everything she made! Keep this Lebanese soup in your repertoire, it is a great recipe, I have enjoyed making for more than 25 years.

Lentils by far are one of the best plant based protein on earth, and this soup brings comfort, warmth and flavor you might need any time of the year.  The soup starts with a cozy blend of lentils, onion, and plenty of parsley that are deeply flavored with a perfect combo of cumin powder and seven spice, and finishes with freshly squeezed lemon juice for light and bright flavor; it is silky, smooth with a lovely pale shade of brown. While it may not look fancy, I would serve it at an elegant dinner party; you will be blown away by the flavor you can get from humble pantry ingredients.

Tips and Tricks:

• Unlike other pulses, lentils don’t require soaking before cooking them.
• I would recommend to rinse the lentils in a mesh-sieve under cold running water, to remove any dust that might be coating before cooking them.
• Brown or green lentils are used in the soup, we need to cook them slow and low to get mushy and overcooked, since the soup will be pureed after cooking.
• Parsley leaves offer richness to this lentil soup, so add a generous amount.
• How to store leftovers?  Refrigerate for a maximum of 4 days or cool down then divide out into glass jars. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Ingredients needed to make this soup

• Lentils, brown or green lentils can be used.

• Parsley leaves: flat-leaf or curly parsley, both will work, though in Lebanon flat-leaf parsley is commonly used, I have tried it with the curly. variety and the result was just as good, use a generous amount, they add great flavor and nutrition to the soup.

• Onion: use red or yellow both will do the job just fine.

• Cumin powder and seven spice and salt: temper them in oil, they work perfectly together to pack the soup with flavor.

• Rice: a small amount that will go unnoticed in the soup, but acts as a thickening agent, I used jasmine rice, but Arborio is commonly used as well.

• Olive oil, use a good quality.

• Water, the liquid ingredient.
• Chicken cube bouillon, or use vegetable bouillon to keep it vegan.
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice: It is a matter of taste, some people react cautiosly, while others will appreciate a tart contrast. Add it just upon serving, and skip if you are not a lemon lover. The soup will still taste great.

Making a great shorbit adas almamroota/ Lebanese brown lentil soup is not only about ingredients, it is also about a technique and an old-fashioned kitchen tool you use to carry out the best result!

While I swear by my immersion blender for how convenient it is to blend most soups and veloutés, the case is different in this soup. Several years ago, my mother gifted me an old fashioned- looking tool and insisted that this should be among my kitchen utensils declaring:” this is lasting and totally practical, you will need this to make shorbat aladas al mamroota (Lebanese brown lentil soup), mashed potatoes and lots of other things.” A hand mill is a tool that may no more be available in most kitchens, but in my opinion you should invest one, and this soup is a fair example why every home needs it. A hand held food mill presses the food through its tiny holes, ensuring this soup reaches a creamy, velvety consistency; it mashes and strains the soup much more neatly than pulsing a blender. The soup can still be blended in a blender or food processor, but the vigorous action of a food processor yields a gluey texture rather than a velvety result. I always use my my old fashioned hand mill to puree this  lentil soup, the result is incomparable.

Thick or thin soup?

The end result of the soup should be moderately thick and rich but not a stodgy consistency.  If for any reason it is too thick, simply add 1/4 cup of water, it won’t affect the end result of the soup. On the other hand, if the soup turns out thin and a bit watery, let the excess liquid evaporate away by bringing the soup to simmer until the desired consistency.

Soup and pita croutons

It is common to serve this soup with toasted pita croutons as they make a good partner, but still you can enjoy it on its own to keep it gluten-free. Making pita croutons is a simple matter, prepare the pita croutons while the soup simmers: with a sharp knife, cut the pita bread into equal medium sized square portions. Place them in a single layer on a sheet pan. Toast in a preheated oven to 200°C/400°F  about 7 minutes until crisp.

Another masterpiece of Teta Roro’s recipes: Lebanese Shish Barak/ Meat Dumplings in Yogurt Soup

Bursting with warm falvors, this soup is velvety, rich and nutritious, It is also gluten free and vegan as long as you don’t use chicken cube bouillon!

• Author: Hadia Zebib Khanafer
• Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 1 hour, Servings: 7-8 persons

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown or green lentils
• 7 cups water
• 2 tablespoons rice
• 3 bunches parsley, washed and drained, equivalent to 3 finely chopped cups
• 1 medium sized onion, minced
• 1 leveled teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/4 teaspoon seven spice or all spice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 chicken bouillon cube, skip it for a vegan option
• Salt to taste

Upon serving:

• freshly squeezed lemon juice, optional
• 1 pita bread, to be toasted, optional
• A pinch of freshly grated black pepper, optional

Directions:

1. Check the lentils for any small stones, rinse them in a mesh-sieve under cold running water, drain and place in a large pot.
2. Wash the rice in a sieve under running water and drain.
3. Add the water to the pot and cook over high heat.
4. Upon boiling, add the rice, chicken bouillon, chopped parsley and a pinch of salt.  Cover the pot and reduce heat to low.
5. Meanwhile in a frying pan, sauté the minced onion with olive oil, add the cumin powder and seven spice, tempering them with oil will enhance the flavor. Cook till the onion turns translucent and the sweet fragrance fills your kitchen.  Add the mix to the lentil pot, cover and cook for an hour until the lentils become mushy and over cooked.
6. Prepare your hand mill: I usually secure the food mill above a large glass or ceramic bowl, pour the soup in batches.  Turn the crank and the blade will puree the lentil soup through the wholes in the disc. Keep turning until you have blended all the soup, making sure to scrape any remaining soup off the bottom.  Add a bit of water, if needed, to thin the soup if it is too thick.
7. Reheat it just for 5 minutes and laddle the soup into bowls and serve it with freshly squeezed lemon juice, and toasted pita bread, optional! How comforting!
8. Alternatively, use an immersion blender to puree the soup, blend right in the pot. Enjoy!

TO PIN IT

Looking for more Middle Eastern lentil soups?  Try These!

Turkish Red Lentil Soup / Mercimek Çorbası 

Sour Lentil Soup (Adas Bhamod)

Split Lentil Soup with Vegetables

Please let me know how this Lebanese brown lentil soup turns for you in the comment section.

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