In Syria, lentils play a large role in basic cooking. They are inexpensive, easy to prepare and a good source of nutrition. It is a legend that the Jews in Sinai were given lentils by Moses to help them endure their long exodus from Egypt. Addes is a thick, golden soup spiced with garlic and cumin and served with fresh lemon wedges. It’s hearty, like pea soup and will provide just the right source of energy to get you through a cold winter’s day.
Note: You can store this soup in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to three days or the freezer for one month. When ready to reheat you may need to add a little water and adjust seasonings as soup will thicken and absorb flavors over time.
©2020 Jennifer Abadi; Reprinted with permission from “A Fistful of Lentils” by Jennifer Abadi
Syrian Lentil Soup
Addes is a hearty soup just perfect for the cold weather months.
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp very finely chopped garlic
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp ground coriander
- 2–2 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups dried split red lentils
- 2 ½ quarts cold water (10 cups)
- 2 Tbsp unbleached flour dissolved in ¼ cold water
For serving:
- 1 lemon, cut into eighths (about 1 small wedge per serving)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan or pot for 30 seconds over a medium-high heat. Mix in the chopped garlic, cumin, coriander and salt and cook until the garlic become a brownish-yellow paste, about 30 seconds. (Make sure not to cook the garlic over high heat; it burns easily.)
- Add the lentils and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover and simmer 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour in the dissolved flour mixture, mix well and continue to cook partially covered for 10 minutes.
- Adjust the taste for salt and continue to simmer until the soup becomes fairly thick, like pea soup, an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Serve hot with a small wedge of lemon squeezed and dropped into each individual serving.
Notes
Soup may be stored in refrigerator up to three days. When ready to reheat you may need to add a little water and adjust seasonings as soup will thicken and absorb flavors over time.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Entree
- Method: One-pot
- Cuisine: Mizrahi
Am I mistaken or do I see chunks of carrot and pieces of onion in the photograph?
I thought I saw carrots at first, but it might be the color coming from the red lentils OR isn’t cumin red? No onions in the recipe. I’m making this as soon as I get some cumin and coriander. Doesn’t it sound scrumptious for the cold weather?
I always put in small chunks of carrots
Since I’ve never made a soup where you add a flour slurry at the end I was dubious. So instead of doing that, I added only 8 cups of water (instead of the written 10) and it was perfect. I changed it slightly and added a Parmesan rind while it cooked and added half a bag of spinach that I chopped to give the soup some heft and color.