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Mercimek Corbasi - Turkish Lentil Soup

I find that lentil soup is almost as universal as rice and meat dishes around the world. There is adas in the Middle East, daal in the South Asian cuisine and in Turkey, Mercimek Corbasi, one of my favorite soups, when made well. I have tried this recipe several times and it always comes out delicious, and always the same. Having a recipe turn out the same way every time is not a gift of mine, so I respect this soup for tasting the same every time. I also appreciate that the soup is made with water, as I do not always have chicken broth on hand and do not like to use dried bouillon cubes, they don't seem entireley natural.

I also made a few tweaks to the original recipe, such as turning down the spice level, but that's entirely up to the cook. I also added one of my favorite ingredients of all time to the recipe, Turkish red pepper paste. It's a delicious, subtle and versatile flavor and I add to almost anything, from meat marinades to curries. I would definitely keep a jar in the house if I were you.

Mercimek Corbasi - Turkish Lentil Soup

Ingredients (servings 6)
- 1 medium sized onion, diced
- 1 medium sized carrot, finely chopped
- 1 medium potato, finely chopped
- 1 cup red lentil
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp dried mint
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon red pepper paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 ½ tbsp butter


Heat olive oil in a pot. Sauté onion, until soft, less than 5 minutes.

Add carrot and potatoes. Saute another 3 minutes.

Wash red lentil, drain and add it to the pot. Saute it for 3 minutes.
Keep stirring. Add spices and salt to taste (go easy on salt, as you can add later). Add the red pepper paste now as well.

Add six cups water, and bring to a boil. Let it cook until the vegetables and lentils get soft enough.If they can easily be mashed when you press with a spoon, it’s done. It takes about 30 minutes over medium heat.
Do not cover the pot during this time as it can rise and overflow.

In a small pan, melt the butter. Add flour and mix it continually. When it becomes creamy, pour it into the pot with lentils.


Depending on how thick you want the soup, blend the soup in a blender, or with a stick blender.

Cook for another five minutes.

Traditionally, this soup is always served with lemon wedges. I also melted a teaspoon of butter, and added to it a tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried mint, 1/4 teaspoon paprika. It didn't put it over the top in deliciousness, but it looked pretty on top.