A hearty, healthy oriental dish

Shorba Ads / Shorbaat Aads, also known as lentil soup, is the simplest soup in the world!

Egypt doesn't really stand out when it comes to soups. Most often it’s beef or chicken broth, molokhia, vegetable soup and orange lentil cream soup, which is the hero of today's recipe.

If you attend an oriental evening in any hotel in Egypt, you will be served an orange soup with a thick consistency. In hotels we give it the English name of lentil soup.

Red lentil cream soup is one of the simplest dishes that can be found in Egyptian cuisine. Very willingly prepared by Egyptian mothers. It is also one of the cheapest meals we can prepare. It is very filling and is definitely one of the best winter soups. The reason is simple, the soup is incredibly warming, so it is perfect for the winter months.

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Shorba ads are served in different ways. You can as a soup. In Upper Egypt it is popular to serve it for breakfast as a substitute for ful (broad bean paste) and eat it by scooping with bread. Some, on the other hand, serve it like a fatta with Egyptian bread torn into pieces and fried in a dry frying pan.

The good news for non-meat eaters is that it is 100% vegetarian and it is available in any restaurant with oriental cuisine.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1.5 liters of water

- 250 g of red lentils

- 2 tomatoes (blanched skinless or canned)

- 2 small green peppers

- 2 medium carrots

- 2 red onions

- 5 cloves of garlic

- 3 potatoes

- spices: salt, pepper, cumin, hot pepper

- 1 tablespoon of butter

PREPARATION

1. Put into a large pot:

- potatoes and carrots cut into large cubes

- blanched and peeled tomatoes, cut into quarters

- green peppers (may be of a different color), seeds removed and cut into large pieces

- 5 cloves of garlic

- red lentils previously washed and dried.

2. Season all vegetables with salt, pepper, hot pepper and cumin. Add the water, mix everything thoroughly and add the onion, peeled and cut into quarters.

Cook the whole thing, covered over low heat for about 40 minutes, until the harder vegetables such as potatoes or carrots are soft.

3. When the vegetables are soft, remove the pot from the heat and blend thoroughly.

Check the flavour and season if necessary. Add a tablespoon of butter and bring it to the boil again.

The soup is usually served with pieces of fried pitta bread & sometimes crispy fried onion.

It's a simple but very tasty snack, isn't it?

Enjoy the flavour of Egypt!!!

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