Carrot, chilli and red lentil soup

Carrot, chilli and red lentil soup

Well all I can say is this soup is especially perfect this time of year, warming and filling, just what you need!

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 long red chilli, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp mild curry powder
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 750g carrots, cut into rough chunks
• 100g dried red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Small handful of chopped coriander
• Sour cream

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan with a lid over a medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli, then cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes until slightly softened.  Add the curry powder and tomato purée, then cook for 1 minute more or until fragrant.

Add the carrots and lentils.  Stir, then add the tomatoes, stock and 1 litre of water.  Season and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45-60 minutes until the carrots are tender.  Cool slightly, then blend using a stick blender until smooth.  Stir in the lemon juice and bowl up, adding a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of coriander to each bowl.

Whilst the recipe calls for mild curry powder I only had hot, however this was perfect as we love a bit of a kick as you know!  I made this as a starter for a recent dinner party, the main being my Nice n Spicy Beef Curry - I therefore served some sliced naan bread with the soup instead of bread or rolls.  

This is such a tasty soup and soooo easy to make, it went down well and I will definitely be making it again soon once I have gotten through the portions I froze!  This recipes serves 6 with decent sized portions.

Recipe courtesy of Delicious magazine.