Afghan Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• Onions

  Raw

  1 medium or 110g

• Carrots

  Raw

  2 large or 144g

• Celery

  Raw

  1 stalks, large (11 inches long) or 64g

• Garlic

  Raw

  2 clove or 6g

• Lemons

  Raw, with peel

  1 fruit without seeds or 108g

• Spearmint

  Fresh

  2 tbsp or 11g

• Olive oil

  Salad or cooking

  1 tbsp or 14g

• Cumin

  Spices, cumin seed

  1 tsp, ground or 3g

• Tomatoes

  Red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice

  1 ⅔ cup or 400g

• Spearmint

  Dried

  1 tsp or 0.5g

• Lentils

  Pink, raw

  1 cup or 192g

• Water

  Plain, clean water

  2 cup or 473g

• Salt

  Table

  1 dash or 0.4g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  1 dash or 0.1g

Directions

1. Halve, peel, and dice the onion. Peel and finely dice the carrots. Finely chop the celery. Mince or grate the garlic.
2. Zest the lemon, then halve it. Cut one half into 4 wedges. Thinly slice the fresh mint, reserving a few leaves for garnish.
3. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, and carrot, cooking for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the cumin and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the tomatoes and dried mint to the pot. Use a potato masher or wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes until almost smooth.
5. Add the lentils and water to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Add the sliced mint and the juice of half the lemon, stirring to combine.
7. Optionally, blend the soup for a creamier consistency if desired.
8. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with lemon zest, reserved lemon wedges, and fresh mint leaves.