Egyptian Lentil Soup with Dukkah

The most simple, flavor packed soup ever. Egyptian lentil soup, inspired by Maha’s Lentil Soup, is a quick and healthy weeknight meal. Topped with dukkah, a blend of nuts, seeds, and spices, it is so delicious it will become a 30 minute meal you just have to make again.

This is the first post at POP KITCHEN in the New Year (whoop 2018!). But also the first post after PK had it’s first birthday! How appropriate that the first recipe be this easy Egyptian lentil soup as my focus for 2018 is to narrow in on easy weeknight meals.

I have been making this soup regularly for over a year and a half. As the type of person who always wants to try something new, especially when it comes to cooking, that’s saying something. I like change a little too much. So for me to consistently make this lentil soup for an extended period of time means there’s something special about it. I am so excited that you get to try it too! Let me tell you a little bit how this soup came into my life and evolved into what it is today.

Thank You Toronto for Egyptian Lentil Soup

My family and I lived in Toronto the past 3 years. We miss it like whoah! But there is a little piece of Toronto that will always lurk inside of us. One of those things, besides our dear friends, is the experiences of eating so many international cuisines. Toronto is the most diverse city in the world and it was so fun to explore the cuisines of our neighbors. One of our local favorites was a restaurant called Maha’s , a small Egyptian restaurant in the east end of Toronto ran by one woman and her two kids. It is one of those places where there will always be a long wait for a table. It’s just too good and the space is compact AF.

A classic at Maha’s was the lentil soup. With some serious luck I stumbled upon a recipe for this infamous soup. Since then I have made it so many times and tweaked it so many ways that this Egyptian lentil soup has really become my own, although all credit for inspiration goes out to Maha’s. Egyptian lentil soup brings us back to Toronto for just a moment.

The Easiest Dinner You Will Ever Make

I cook a ton of really delicious recipes at home. But I think the reason this Egyptian lentil soup recipe has stuck is because it is so dang easy. Barely chop 5 vegetables, toss in a pot of water, lentils, and spices, simmer, and purée with a blender. Prep literally takes 3-5 minutes. I don’t even bother peeling the carrots.

The best part of the recipe is the finish. You fry a shallot in a lot of butter until it is golden and the butter is brown. Toss the butter mixture with lemon juice and blend with this creamy soup. It is seriously a winner. Whether or not you are looking for a sturdy weeknight staple, you have just found one.

Dukkah

I have been really into cooking with middle eastern spice blends like za’atar (i.e. za’atar chicken burgers ) and ras el hanout for some time, but I have only just recently been introduced to the Egyptian condiment, dukkah. Dukkah, also spelled duqqa, is similar to za’atar in that it is a blend of spices with seeds or nuts. While za’atar is a sumach and sesame blend dukkah is a blend of a variety of spices and nuts with hazelnuts as the traditional base.

Dukkah is the one spice fits all. You can use it as a rub for chicken, as a dip with bread and olive oil, on top of anything from soup, to salad, to yogurt as a sauce, you can also just eat it as a snack, as is. It’s that freaking tasty.

This dukkah blend I created has a blend of hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, and sesame seeds, which are basically all of my favorite things. I tried to keep the spice blend simple. I added some optional spices if you want to make your dukkah a little more complex.

The easiest way to shop for your dukkah ingredients is to visit a store that offers a bulk nut and spice section. That way you don’t have to foot the cost of an entire bag of hazelnuts or fennel seeds. I have been having so much fun with dukkah lately. As it is such a simple thing to make I hope it adds a lot to your everyday cooking. And to Egyptian lentil soup it takes this already crazy delicious soup up a serious notch.

Let’s Hang out in 2018

You guys, I have so much planned for this year. I really want to get you in the kitchen cooking food that is easy, nutrient dense, and very delicious. Food that makes you feel upbeat and gets you upbeat about cooking. So I hope you’ll tag along, subscribe to my newsletter , and experiment with me in your kitchen. And this Egyptian lentil soup is the perfect way to start.

Recipe

Egyptian Lentil Soup with Dukkah

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
• 1 large potato, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 large tomato, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 large carrot, (unpeeled) cut in half
• 1 onion, skin and core removed and quartered
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp allspice
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 large shallot, finely minced
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup hazelnuts
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 Tbsp pistachios, shelled
• 1 Tbsp pine nuts
• 1 Tbsp coriander seeds (you can also use ground)
• 1½ tsp cumin seeds (you can also use ground)
• ½ tsp fennel seed (also optional)
• ½ tsp sea salt
• Optional pinch of each:
• Cinnamon
• Sumach
• Nutmeg
• Clove
• Black pepper

Instructions

1. Place all of the soup ingredients with the exception of the butter, shallot, and lemon juice into a medium/large pot. Make sure the stock just barely covers the veggies (it’s ok if a couple tops are sticking out). Bring the stock to a boil, cover with a lid, and cook on a simmer for 20 minutes.
2. While the soup is simmering, sauté the shallot in the butter over medium heat until it becomes golden and the butter has become nice and browned. Add the tablespoon of lemon juice to stop the cooking and add some delicious acidity.
3. Once the soup is done cooking, scoop out the large pieces of cooked vegetable out of the pot with a ladel, leaving some lentils and liquid behind, and into a blender or bowl with an immersion blender. If you’re using a traditional blender, let the veggies cool a bit. Blenders tend to explode when their contents are hot. Add the butter mixture and CAREFULLY purée until super smooth. Mix the puree back into the pot of lentils and stir to mix. Taste the soup and adjust the salt or lemon juice to your liking (this is recipe is my perfect balance). If the soup seems too thick add a little bit of water to thin it down. Serve with dukkah sprinkled on top and pita or crusty bread.
4. First, you need to toast the nuts, sesame seeds, and spices in a sauté pan. Combine everything but the fennel, salt, and optional spices into a large sauté pan over medium heat. Swirl the pan so the nuts and seeds get mixed around every 2 minutes or so. Cook until the spices are fragrant and you’re just starting to see some color on the pine nuts and hazelnuts.
5. Combine the toasted nuts and spices into a food processor or bladed coffee grinder along with the salt, fennel, and optional spices. Pulse the mixture until the nuts are nice and chopped into chunky bits. About 1-2 minutes. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Serve over soup, toss with chicken and olive oil in an instant pot or oven, drizzle with olive oil and dip with bread or find some new way to enjoy dukkah.