Spicy Red Lentil Soup Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2024)

FAQs

Do you need to soak red lentils before making soup? ›

Do red lentils need to be soaked before cooking? No, there is no need to soak red lentils before cooking but it is a good idea to give them a quick rinse.

Legumes, like beans and lentils, have especially high amounts of lectins. Eating raw foods that contain lots of lectins can cause digestive problems. But this is easy to avoid — rinsing and cooking deactivates lectins. Lectin-rich foods may bring health benefits, too.

Any mild to spicy red pepper will work, like Aleppo-style pepper. Herbs – Dried mint flakes add a cooling, woody quality to the spicy lentil soup, while fresh flat leaf parsley added at the very end brings bright, peppery flavor.

Why does my lentil soup taste bland? Lentils have a relatively mild taste and take well to seasonings. To avoid a bland lentil soup, use a flavorful broth—whether that's homemade or store-bought chicken or vegetable broth. The other key is building flavor.

Here's what happens if you don't soak them: 1> Longer Cooking Time: Beans and lentils that haven't been soaked will generally take longer to cook compared to soaked ones. Soaking helps to soften the beans, reducing the time needed for cooking.

Lentils do not require it but can be soaked in order to reduce cooking time by about half. Before cooking, rinse lentils in cold water, pick over to remove debris or shrivelled lentils, then drain.

About half of your grain intake should be whole grains, and protein should include meat as well as beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy. Dr. Gundry suggests eliminating many of these foods because of their high lectin levels. If you think you may be sensitive to lectins, then a lectin-free diet may be worth it.

Eating lentils can cause gas and bloating because they're high in fiber that your body is unable to break down. While fiber plays a large role in supporting and regulating your digestive system and bowel movements, it can also produce bacteria that leads to cramping and gas pains.

If you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune or thyroid disease or believe you have a leaky gut, you should avoid these inflammatory foods: Grains and pseudo-grains include wheat, barley, rye, quinoa, buckwheat, chia seeds, and more. Legumes such as lentils, peanuts, chickpeas, and soybeans.

Woodsy herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme are natural partners to the lentil's earthy flavor, so any of them (or any combination of them) can go into the pot, too.

How do you thicken lentil soup? ›

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

Add more broth to help dilute the spices.

If it still tastes too spicy, keep adding more broth until you're satisfied with the flavor. You can put additional broth in any kind of soup. If you don't have any broth, you can also add water instead. You may need to add more salt to reseason your soup.

Lentils are frequently cooked with strong spices, which can cause indigestion in some people. Lentils are a good source of potassium, however, too many lentils in the diet can cause hyperkalemia (symptoms may include vomiting, fatigue, irregular heartbeat and difficulty breathing) in people with poor kidney function.

The other good news: Lentils don't need to soak as beans do (though you do need to sort and rinse them before cooking). Different types of lentils cook in different amounts of time. Red lentils are the fastest cooking and they dissolve as they cook and make for a smooth soup.

4) Add some flavor boosters, if you'd like.

Add some salt, maybe a bay leaf, and maybe a clove of garlic (peeled but left whole). Some recipes will warn you to never add salt to beans or lentils while they're cooking (they say it'll prevent them from cooking through), but it's simply not true!

Phytase helps in breaking down phytic acid and helps in binding calcium, iron and zinc. This makes the absorption process much easier. Soaking also activates a compound called amylase that breaks down complex starch in lentils and makes them easier to digest.

You're not using enough water

According to the BBC, lentils need a whole lot of water to cook all of the way through. So use at least three times more water than lentils and avoid the temptation to salt the water. Adding salt can make the lentil's exterior tough and unappetizing (via Lentils.org).

To soak, I generally rinse and then cover with triple the amount of fresh water, leave overnight on the countertop and rinse the next day. Forgot to soak overnight? Try a quick soak: pour over boiling water and leave to sit for 3 hours before rinsing and draining and proceeding with your recipe.

Soak lentils for about 6 hours or overnight in warm water with a couple tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. (The soaking liquid needs to be slightly acidic to neutralize phytic acid and free up minerals for your body.)