Lentil soup with carrots and fish
In an experiment with a bag of red lentils and another bag of split yellow peas I found at an exotic store, I decided to make a lentil and peas soup. The soup I created is loosely based on this recipe from 101 Cookbooks. I’ve added a little more taste to it with very spicy Scotch Bonnet paste and some texture from pieces of white fish (I used cod). You can easily replace the butter in this recipe for olive oil, and leave out the fish and you have a perfect vegan dish.
This soup is great for both summer and wintertime; just add more spicyness in the summer, and more carrots in the winter! You can cook it in a big batch, and then freeze the soup for later use.
Groceries (serves at least 6):
- 200 g dried red lentils
- 200 g dried yellow split peas
- 1.6 liter water
- 1 medium diced carrot (1 cm dice)
- 2 tbsp peeled and grated or minced ginger
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 2 tbsp butter
- 8 green onions (chopped into small rings)
- 45 g golden raisins
- 80 ml tomato paste
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 3 teaspoons fine grain salt
- one handful of cilantro
- 1 tbsp Scotch Bonnet paste
- 400 g whitefish (cod, whiting, haddock etc) in large chunks
Rinse the lentils and peas until the water that comes off it is clear. Place them in a large soup pot (at least 2 liters) and cover with the water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Stir in the carrot dice and half a tablespoon of ginger. Cover the pot and leave to simmer for 30 minutes or until the peas are soft.
While the peas and lentils are happily bubbling into mushiness, toast the curry powder in a small, dry skillet and set aside. Now brown the butter in a sauce pan and add half of the onions, the remaining ginger and the raisins. Sauté for 2 minutes while stirring, add the tomato paste and sauté for two more minutes. Now add the toasted curry powder, give it a good stir and add the mixture to the simmering soup, together with the coconut milk and the salt.
Put the chunks of fish into the soup and give it a few gentle stirs. Leave the soup to simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. When you feel the soup has gotten thick enough, stir the Scotch Bonnet paste in and serve it with the rest of the green onions and the cilantro sprinkled over it.
Enjoy!
