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.
https://www.theweek.co.uk/arts-life/food-drink/956316/recipe-of-the-week-rishta-lentil-and-pasta-soup Recipe of the week: Rishta – lentil and noodle soup