Cheap Eats 4: Spicy Lentil Soup
Posted by Michelle | Filed under Food
Quick and cheap as beans, this recipe is a carry over from my vegetarian student days. A university hand me down from a fellow student, Carmen. If you’re a long time reader then you’ll have seen this originaly posted on stubbornlikeamule years ago with a spicy sausage variation.
Because this this recipe is for my brother Jason, who has a ready supply of rotissirie chicken I’ve modified the recipe to have chicken in it. Of course if you are vego you just skip the chicken. Massel chicken stock is still my vegetarian and non-vego convenience stock of choice.
Spicy chicken and lentil soup (serves 6-8- cost per serve $1ish)
2 tablespoon oil
2 cup red lentils
2 onion, finely chopped
3 teaspoon turmeric
3 teaspoon garam marsala
3 teaspoon ground cumin
(you could probably skip the turmeric if you were buying new spices)
1 chopped red chilli (or 1 teaspoon chilli paste)
Shredded chicken (optional, this soup was originally vego)
4 cup of chicken stock
2 potatoes, peeled and diced (optional, make the soup thicker)
coriander to garnish
Rinse and pick over the lentils for any discoloured ones.
Toast the spices in a medium sized saucepan until aromatic. Add the oil and saute the onion, chilli and chicken until the onion starts to brown. Add the lentils and stir to coat.
Add in the stock and potato and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 20 minutes with the lid half on. Serve with a garnish of coriander and a bit of fresh bread.