Cypriot Sour Lentil Soup (Fakes Xithati) (Vegan)

Submitted by UmmBinat

"With gluten free option. This is a delicious lentil soup we enjoy with a side of fresh salad as a light meal. From the Complete Middle East Cookbook by Tess Mallos, Cyprus section."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 40mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Yields: 6 bowls
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 473.18 ml brown lentils
• 1892.72 ml water, plus 1/4 cup cold water separated
• 236.59 ml spring onion, finny chopped (green onions)
• 1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)
• 59.14 ml finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 78.78 ml olive oil
• 14.79 ml rice flour (regular flour may be used if not gluten free)
• 59.14 ml red wine vinegar (not halal)
• sea salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 lemon, cut in wedges (to serve)

directions

1. Pick over lentils and wash in several changes of cold water. Drain.
2. Put lentils in a large pot with 8 cups water, spring onion, garlic if used, olive oil and parsley.
3. Bing to a boil, cover pan and simmer on low heat for 1 hour or until lentils are soft.
4. Put 1/4 cup water and flour in a screw top jar, seal and shake until thoroughly combined. This prevents lumps forming. pour this gradually into the boiling soup, stirring constantly until thickened slightly.
5. Add vinegar, sea salt and pepper to taste. Return to the boil and boil gently for 5 minutes. Serve with wedges of fresh lemon to squeeze onto individual portions and a fresh salad if wished.

Reviews

[Sephardi Kitchen]

I almost gave this recipe 4 stars, but I will blame it on the fact that I realized after starting the recipe that I had no red wine vinegar- just white, balsamic and rice. I made a mixture of the three and added a spoonful of sugar, hoping to imitate the flavor of red wine vinegar. I found it to be good, but missing something (a few dashes of seasoning liquid fixed it). Overall, a VERY easy and refreshing recipe, that probably would have been much better if I had checked my pantry before starting to cook. Thanks for posting! Made for February 2012 NA*ME Tag.

 

[magpie diner]

This soup really grew on me! It's so easy to prepare and the consistency is fantastic. I wasn't sure about just boiling the onions and garlic etc, but it worked out very nicely. I was also unsure about using that much vinegar, but it really mellows and adds a nice spark of flavour. For me I agree, the garlic is a must, as is the parsley. It's a very light tasting, satisfying soup that I found really benefited from sitting for a few hours or overnight to give time for the flavours to marry. Made for Veg*n swap March 2011. Thanks UmmBinat!

 

[Diann is Cooking]

Nice! Very simple and tasty. I haven't cooked with lentils for awhile so I was glad to have the opportunity. I made half a recipe. I used curly parsley since that's what they had, and I used extra garlic since I didn't want to halve the clove of garlic for the smaller batch (that's an excuse; I like garlic...) I have enough left to bring to work a couple of days; I think I'll add some lemon juice for that. Made for September 2010 Veg'n Swap.

 

[Prose]

This was EASY to make and delicious! I don't think I've ever used green onions in a soup before, but it was a refreshing change. I think the garlic and lemon juice are a must. Made for Veg*an Swap, August 2010.