Recipe of the week: Rishta – lentil and noodle soup

This Lebanese soup is one of my absolute favorites, says Georgina Hayden. I love lentils, which I ate regularly as a kid, and here the addition of starchy fresh noodles makes for a deliciously rich and velvety soup.

Cumin, coriander, garlic, and lemon — the sacred quartet of flavors in my world — complete a fairly effortless vegan meal (assuming you use egg-less tagliatelle). Tastes great the next day too.

For four to six people

ingredients

• 200 grams of green lentils
• 1.8 liters of hot vegetable stock
• 2 onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 125 g fresh tagliatelle
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ a lemon

method

• Rinse the lenses thoroughly under running water and remove any stones.
• Place in a large saucepan with the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes.
• In the meantime, peel and finely slice the onions and garlic. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and chopped vegetables. Fry for 15 minutes until tender and just colored.
• Finely chop coriander. Mix the cumin seeds and ground coriander into the onion and garlic mixture and fry for about a minute.
• Add half of the fresh cilantro to the pan, fry for a further 2 minutes and then remove from the heat.
• When the lentils are done, stir in the sautéed onion mixture.
• Roughly tear the tagliatelle into smaller pieces and add to the soup. Season generously with salt and pepper and bring to the boil again.
• Reduce heat and simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Squeeze in the juice of the lemon half and finish with the remaining chopped cilantro before serving.

Taken by Nistisima: The secret to delicious vegan cuisine from the Mediterranean and beyond by Georgina Hayden, published by Bloomsbury for £26. Photography by Kristin Perers. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £20.99 call 020-3176 3835 or visit us theweekbookshop.co.uk.