A hearty vegetarian soup from Tajikstan which I found in ” Samarkand” by Caroline Eden and Eleanor Ford. As an alternative to the herb paste you can add a dollop of herbed Suzma or you can just stir in some chopped greens for the final 5 minutes of cooking.
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 celery stick finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 4 tomatoes chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 tsps cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 200 g green or brown lentil washed
- 150 g brown rice washed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 litre hot vegetable stock
- 120 g crumbly goat or sheeps cheese
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the herb paste:
- 6 tbsps A drizzle of olive oil
- a good handful flat leaf parsley leaves
- a good handful coriander leaves
- a handful sorrel or mint leaves
- a handful pistachios
- a squeeze lemon juice
Servings:
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and add a good glug of olive oil. Tip in the onion, celery,carrots and tomatoes and cook until softened. Addd the garlic, cumin seeds and allspice. Cook for a further minute then stir in the lentils, rice and bay leaves.
- Pour over the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and cover the pan. Cook for 20-30 minutes, until the rice and lentils are tender.
- Meanwhile make the herb paste. Put all the ingredients in a small blender with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Whizz to a thick puree.
- Thin the soup with a little hot water and taste for seasoning. Ladle into serving bowls, spoon over the herb paste and crumble in the cheese.
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