The recipe that I'm about to share is yet another family recipe - courtesy of my aunt. This recipe is definitely our family's favorite (except my children since they don't know any better!) and we always requested that she make it because it is SO good. It's not hard to make; however, it does involve some washing and chopping of fresh herbs. So, if you like herbs, especially cilantro, this one is for you! Let's just call it cilantro soup...
Cilantro soup
Ingredients:
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped
3 bunches of fresh cilantro - washed and chopped with the stems
1 bunch of fresh parsley - washed and chopped with the stems
1 bunch of scallions – washed and chopped both white and green parts
2 bunches of fresh spinach – washed and chopped (or 1 box of frozen chopped spinach)
¾ cup lentils cleaned and washed
¾ cup white rice cleaned and washed
¼ teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoon sea salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
14 cups of water
3-4 lime - freshly juiced (about 1/2-3/4 cup)
Plain yogurt
In a large pot, over medium-low heat, sauté the onion in oil until it is soft and translucent. Add rice and lentils and sauté the mixture for about 5 minutes. Add turmeric and mix well. Add 14 cups of water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil with the lid on, then cook over low heat until both rice and lentils are soft (about 45 min to an hour).
Wash and chop all the fresh herbs and the scallions and add to the pot. If you are using frozen spinach, add that to the pot before the other herbs. Put the lid back on and let the mixture simmer on low heat for about 20-30 minutes. Add lime juice and serve hot with plain yogurt.
Cilantro Soup with Plain Yogurt
The rice and lentils act as thickening agents here, therefore no exact measurements (little less, little more...). Freshly squeezed lime juice is key here which is a great compliment to the cilantro. My family and I like the sour taste of this soup but you can adjust the amount of lime juice for your taste. Another thing I've tried in the past is to substitute water with chicken or beef broth. Today, we had none of those in our pantry!
This soup is so refreshing and it tastes fantastic. Once you learn how to make it, you'd want to make it over and over again.
Happy Monday!
*Note added on Thursday, May 26th: I was too lazy and too hot to warm this soup up for lunch today (it is 80 degrees and humid in NYC), so I had a bowl straight out of the fridge and I must say it was SO GOOD and refreshing! I was completely surprised. So I thought I'd share that with you. Who knew? One recipe - 2 ways... Now we have a Persian Gazpacho! Cheers everyone.
