Red Lentil Soup
Note that we used two cups of lentils!
This week’s guest chef is my friend Zanib! Full disclosure- we made this soup a while ago. For whatever reason, the world has just been a lot lately so it has taken a while for me to get energy to write this post. From the chaos of the election to the anticipation of the covid-changed holidays, all I’ve really wanted to do is curl up on the couch and eat pizza bagels. Which I’ve been doing in full force.
But I am grateful that this blog is still here, challenging me to exercise parts of myself that I love - creativity, adventurousness, ambition, openness - and that it gives me the opportunity to interact with people I love. Being present, and presenting our full selves, can be such a challenge!!
Which is why I am grateful for all of the people who show up in my life, like Zanib, who took the time to share this awesome recipe with me.
This is a recipe that Zanib learned from her mom. Affectionately referred to as the South Asian Gordon Ramsey, Z’s mom is a no BS chef who runs a tight kitchen and is a pro at adding her own South Asian flair to the recipes that inspire her, like this one (initially from Martha Stewart!).
Although Zanib is a baker at heart, she is a boss when it comes to cooking too. No measuring cups, just a hint of a recipe, and a whole lot of heart and intuition. Which tbh is my favorite type of cooking.
Over here on the left - this might be an obvious simple thing - is Zanib adding the lemon, while catching the seeds. How have I never done this before? I am always digging the seeds out, and one INEVITABLY always ends up in what I am cooking.
In order to get this soup nice and creamy, we used an immersion blender instead of a standing blender. The tip here is basically just make this soup whatever texture you like. We went for a semi-smooth texture, but it would be good super smooth or unblended too.
We decided to add a splash of hot sauce, which is a serious decision in our house. Ultimately we went for our ScHot Sauce - a home made hot sauce that my friend Sarah’s dad, Scott, gave us from the peppers in his garden. This stuff is SUPER hot. It’s definitely the hottest hot sauce that I’ve ever had.
We did a test tasting with Steve, who loves hot sauce like Pat Mahomes loves Ketchup. A lot. And needless to say, I married a tough guy. He kept his composure for the video, but the second I stopped recording he went on fire (which was hilarious and satisfying because he is such a skutch).
The soup was perfect - creamy and sweet, with a nice spicy flair. Perfect for warming up on these crisp fall days - especially when you have the right hot sauce!!
“I couldn’t feel my tastebuds after the hot sauce so I can’t really give a recommendation. ”
