I’ve been making this aromatic spicy-warm soup to fill the belly since December’s cold snap. Its particular flavour comes from the slightly fermented aroma the dried limes bestow on the lentils. Each time I make it I swap one of the spices for another giving me subtle variations on the theme. It’s based on the Shorbat Adas soup, if you google there are variations of this lentil soup with and without the dried limes.
The dried limes can be bought online from Souschef (smoked and non-smoked), it was Nicola who first introduced me to them. I can also buy the yellow ones in a local Indian store. The smoked black ones have a woody aroma while the non-smoked yellow ones have more of a sharp lime-fermented aroma.
The idea is to prick the limes and add them whole to the cooking pot, they’re also used in meat dishes, and on serving the dish a lime is given for the individual to squeeze it to their taste. I like my soup with a subtle hint of the fermented lime and don’t squeeze the extra juice but when I gave this soup to Monica she loved squeezing as much juice as the lime would give into her bowl.
I add vegetables because it’s a good opportunity to add them to the diet but the soup can be made with just the lentils and spices.
I add half red split lentils (left) and half of urad dal (right) but it can be made with only lentils.
I have also mixed things up a little, and swapped the urad dal for wheat berries (left) or a premix of bulgar wheat and quinoa (right).
Lentil & Dried Lime Soup (Shorbat Adas)
- 1 onion chopped
- 2-3 tablespoon of oil
- 150g red split lentils
- 150g urad dal (white ones with husks removed)
- 2-3 carrots, chopped
- 1-2 leeks, chopped
- 3 dried yellow limes, pricked several times
- 1/2 – 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, freshly crushed into powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin or ground coriander (or both)
- 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon of tomato puree (or could use 2-3 fresh tomatoes)
- 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoon of salt
Soften the chopped onion in oil for 2-3 minutes, then add pepper, cumin/coriander, turmeric and stir for 10 seconds then add tomato puree and stir it for 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and about 1.5 litres of water (about 3 pints). Bring soup to the boil and simmer until the urad dal is soft about 25 mins. Taste and adjust seasoning. Liquidize and adjust the soup with more water if it’s too thick for you.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t need to tell you how much I love this soup. It’s one of my favourites and a soup I make at least a few times a year (at which point I make lots of it to stash in the freezer). I use lemon juice vs preserved limes but I do admit (as you noticed) that I _really_ like that subtle fermented flavour of the preserved limes. A good excuse to pay another visit to the Sous Chef shop.
Hi Azelia
I have had something similar in Turkish restaurants. It would be nice with the bulgar or quinoa served on the side wouldn’t it? Think the Persian shop near me, Persepolis, would have the dried limes.
I have some really old red lentils – maybe 2 years – and wonder if they would be safe to use. They have been in an airtight container. Can old red lentils cause any health problems?
Catherine – I’ve used old lentils before but honestly don’t know if there is a limit with them. I would’ve thought the older they are the longer they take to cook, it’s the case with beans. I’ve never heard of there being a problem eating them since they’re being boiled.
I think with any stored food, check for weevils and mould as primary visual clues as to useability, but – any food, not just spices, will lose its aromatics and essential oils over time, so, it may still be perfectly edible, but may lack in flavour, the older it is.