A delicious vibrant soup that is sweet but also savory. The lentils give the soup body, protein and fibre, as well as many minerals. Carrots are a fantastic vegetable and are great for warming up kapha and vata, only warming up pitta slightly so pitta can enjoy this as well, especially when eaten in the cooler months. This is typical of an Ayurvedic soup as it is light, nourishing and unfussy – the simpler the food, the easier it is to digest. Eat as a starter or stir in some cooked rice for a more substantial meal.–Anjum Anand
WHAT IS AYURVEDA? (AND HOW THE HECK DO I PRONOUNCE IT?!)
Okay. Here’s our terribly oversimplified attempt at explaining Ayurveda (pronounced aa-yur-VAY-dah). It’s an ancient medical tradition in Indian culture, and it’s founded on the principle that there are three basic body types, or, if you will, doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha. Certain dietary and lifestyle choices, based on your dosha, can bring you into balance or bump you further out of balance. Scoff if you will, but it’s been around a heck of a lot longer than any of us—five millennia at last count. Book after book has been written on the topic, and a simple Google search will turn up countless little quizzes you can take to find out your body type and how to take what Ayurvedic practitioners refer to as “intelligent action” in your life. Don’t know about you, but we could sure use some more intelligence in our lives. Why wait any longer?
Carrot and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons ghee or vegetable oil
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger, depending on how zingy you like things
- 2 small garlic cloves, chpped
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
- 11 ounces carrots, that’s 3 to 5 smallish or slender carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
- 2 tablespoons red lentils, washed
- 2 3/4 cups vegetable broth, homemade chicken stock, canned chicken broth, or 1/2 teaspoon vegetable bouillon stock powder dissolved in 2 3/4 cups water
- Handful cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the ghee or oil in a small nonstick saucepan. Add the onion and cook gently until golden, then add the ginger and garlic and stir for 40 to 60 seconds. Add the coriander, cumin, and salt and pepper and stir for 20 seconds. Add the carrots, lentils, and stock and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and use an immersion blender to puree it or set aside for at least 10 minutes and then puree it in a blender. If the consistency is too thick for your liking, just add a little water and blitz again.
- Reheat over low heat, taste, and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Serve topped with cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Delicious soup. Just delicious. Trust me, make this soup if you need something warm and comforting or restorative or just because you want something rich and creamy without being heavy.
I’m thrilled this recipe serves 2, but if necessary, it could be stretched to four as a starter. I served it swirled with a bit of sour cream for some tang and to add some additional richness.
I must admit that when I first read this recipe, I wasn’t expecting much. Yet as soon as I served it, everyone’s reaction was incredible. The taste was smooth, a tad spicy, filled with flavors (including a touch of Indian), and powerful.
I was worried my toddler would think it was too spicy, so I decided to add a little heavy cream to soften the taste. It worked beautifully, as she loved it, and I must admit, I liked it, too. I used 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 3 small carrots. I didn’t have vegetable stock, so I used mild chicken stock. This is a recipe to make again and often.
We loved this easy-to-put-together soup. So delicious and nutritious. I think water would have been good as well in place of vegetable broth, but you might want to increase the amount of cumin and coriander to give it a bit more flavor.
All in all, this is a wonderful weeknight dinner or beautiful amuse bouche for a dinner party.
I had never had carrot soup before. It had never appealed to me, but I thought I would give it a go. I wasn’t sure about the taste at first, thinking it needed something else but not knowing what, but by the time I had finished the bowl I was converted.
It was quick and simple to make. It took just over 40 minutes to make (if you include getting the ingredients from the cupboards) and was delicious.
I used the vegetable stock as opposed to water or chicken stock. The soup was quite thick and thus quite filling, which made it a generous two portions. If you like your soup thinner, it could probably stretch to 4 portions with added water, but I feel that might take away some of the flavor.
I wasn’t going to like this recipe. I’m not a fan of dishes with a lot of coriander or cumin and here I was making soup that would serve only 2 people when, to me, soup only gets made in large batches. You dirty some pots and then you have soup on hand for days. I was wrong. Really wrong! This is delicious, quick, easy, and beautiful to look at.
I used a vegetable bouillon cube dissolved in water because that’s what I had on hand.
The only drawback to this recipe of perfectly married flavors was that I had none left. Why make soup for two? This one needs to be doubled or maybe tripled. Or else I hope there will be red lentil recipes upcoming on the site, because I have most of a bag left in my pantry after this recipe. Used an immersion blender to smooth the soup. Perfect!
This soup was prepared for the family, so I tripled the recipe for 4 soupaholics. It’s easy and fast to prepare this tasty soup; even beginners can prepare it and have a good homemade soup in minutes. It’ll remind you of some good Indian food. Although based on lentils, it’s not heavy. We topped it with cilantro and a spoonful of thick yogurt.
This was a super-tasty soup that was very simple to prepare. The blended lentils provided a nice creamy consistency and the spices paired perfectly with the carrots.
I used homemade vegetable stock. I rather liked that the recipe made just enough for 2 people, but I would likely double it in the future. I would scale back ever so slightly on the ginger next time, because I found it to be somewhat biting and overpowering. I would also consider using ghee or perhaps butter next time to provide a richer flavor to the soup.
This soup is easy and relatively quick to make. If I’m in a time crunch, this is the soup I would go to. There are more flavorful soups out there, but they also require more ingredients and more time. This soup starts out as a good base and, if time permits, can be dolled up with some more spices (perhaps cayenne) or tomato paste or more lentils for texture.
This soup comes together in about half an hour and is creamy and the warm spices make it great for when a cold is coming on or to compliment a salad on a warm day. I dice the carrots and that allows me to leave some of them whole and gives the soup some texture. Love the fact that the red lentils dissolve into the soup. I serve it with fresh cilantro leaves and either a dollop of whole milk yogurt or some sour cream.
I’ve become much more daring with new recipes because I know they are tested and don’t disappoint.
That’s wonderful, Marilyn. We’re delighted that the recipes on the site have helped you to try new things. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and rate the recipes.