I went for lunch yesterday with a good friend of mine and we went to a little local cafe where I had a delicious bowl of this soup – which reminded me how good it tastes! I’m not a huge fan of cumin but for some reason, I really find this soup comforting. Cumin is really good for digestion and is a rich source of iron, combined with an antibiotic property it really is a super spice! This soup is wonderful served with toasted pitta bread.

Ingredients
2 x tbsp olive oil
1 x large onion finely chopped
1 x medium carrot chopped
1 1/2 cups of red lentils
1/2 cup rice
1 x tsp black pepper
1 x tsp turmeric
2 x tsp ground cumin
1.5 Litres of hot vegetable stock
(1 lemon to squeeze over the soup)

Method
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and add in the chopped onion and saute for a few minutes until starting to soften then add in the chopped carrot and stir.
Then add the lentils, rice, black pepper, turmeric, cumin and hot vegetable stock, bring to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow to stand for a few minutes. Now, get your hand blender and blend to a lovely, smooth consistency. Check the seasoning and add salt if needed.
Pour into a bowl and squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on top – it’s as easy as that! serve with hot bread or pitta bread.