Ciorba is a flavorful and thick lentil soup, one of Turkey’s most famous traditional dishes (now also known to us, thanks to Turkish TV series that are very popular). The recipe is very simple, with easily available ingredients, it is quick to prepare and truly delicious. You will need red lentils, the classic vegetables for sautéing, celery, carrot, and onion, a potato, vegetable broth, tomato pulp… then just add some spices to make the soup even better and more fragrant. Of course, there are many versions of Turkish ciorba, some of which include other ingredients like meat (chicken or lamb) and vegetables… here I propose the one I made, try it because it’s easy, fast, and super tasty!
Here are more ideas for you:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Turkish
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 235.14 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 41.18 (g) of which sugars 2.08 (g)
- Proteins 12.43 (g)
- Fat 3.50 (g) of which saturated 0.54 (g)of which unsaturated 1.02 (g)
- Fibers 7.32 (g)
- Sodium 333.45 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 320 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup red split lentils
- 1 potato
- Half onion
- Half stalk celery
- 1 carrot (small)
- 5 oz tomato pulp
- cumin seeds
- paprika (sweet or hot, as you like)
- to taste vegetable broth
- lemon juice
- mint (or parsley)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Tools
- Pan
- Sieve
- Peeler
Preparation
Place the lentils in a fine mesh sieve and rinse them under cold running water.
Wash and peel the potato and cut it into small cubes.
Clean celery, carrot, and onion, finely chop them and place them in a pan. Add a dash of extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon of cumin seeds, and half a teaspoon (or more) of paprika (1).
Sauté for a moment, then add the lentils and potatoes.
Stir, cover everything with plenty of hot vegetable broth, and add the tomato pulp (2).
Season with salt, cover with a lid and let it cook on low heat for 20-30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender (3). During cooking, stir occasionally and add broth if necessary.
If the soup turns out to be a bit runny at the end, you can blend part of it with an immersion blender. I didn’t do it because mine was already creamy enough, as red split lentils tend to break apart easily.
The Turkish lentil ciorba is ready, add a splash of lemon juice and a few leaves of mint, then serve it in bowls… enjoy your meal!
Tips and Notes
Ciorba can be served either as a soup or as a creamy dip like hummus, to be served alongside pita bread, for example. Adjust the consistency based on how you want to present it at the table.
You can customize the spices according to your taste, making the soup more or less spicy or more or less acidic.
You can add a clove of garlic to the initial sauté.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Which lentils should be used?
The original recipe calls for red split lentils, whole or split like the ones I had. They are easily available in supermarkets, but can still be substituted with other varieties.
