Ezogelin Çorbası — Red Lentil, Bulgur & Mint Soup

⏱ 45 min · Serves 4

Turkey's most comforting bowl: red lentils and bulgur simmered soft, coloured deep rust with pepper paste, then crowned with sizzling mint butter. Cheap, nourishing and ready in well under an hour.

Per serving: 395 kcal · 16.5g protein · 48.0g carbs · 15.0g fat

Ingredients

• 150g red lentils, rinsed
• 50g coarse bulgur wheat
• 2 tbsp short-grain rice
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası)
• 1 tsp dried mint
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1.4 litres hot chicken or vegetable stock
• Salt and black pepper
• For the mint butter: 30g butter, 1 tsp dried mint, 1/2 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Method

1. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and soften the onion for 6–8 minutes until translucent and sweet.
2. Stir in the tomato paste and red pepper paste and cook for 2 minutes until they darken and smell rich.
3. Add the lentils, bulgur, rice, dried mint, cumin and paprika, stirring to coat everything in the paste.
4. Pour in the hot stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer partly covered for 25–30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have collapsed and the bulgur is tender.
5. Season well with salt and pepper. For a smoother soup, blitz briefly with a stick blender, leaving some texture; loosen with a splash of hot water if it has thickened too much.
6. Make the mint butter: melt the butter in a small pan until foaming, take off the heat and stir in the dried mint and pul biber for 20 seconds — don't let it burn.
7. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle over the red mint butter and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over.