Guest Blog ~ Ramadan Lentil soup

Hi guys,

Today we have a guest blog 🥳 so over to you Reem.

Ramadan Lentil Soup

My name is Reem and I live in Kuwait. Every summer I spend my summer holidays in Cork in our summer house. My mom is friendly with Margaret’s mom and then I got friendly with Margaret. Now, it’s Ramadan in Kuwait. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and it marks when Allah gave the first chapters of the Quran to the prophet Mohamed (pbuh). During this month we fast from sunrise to sunset. When we break our fast my family normally has lentil soup for fatoor. Fatoor is an Arabic word for breakfast. It literally is when we break our fast. Here is my recipe for lentil soup (it’s enough for a large family) 30 mls of extra-virgin olive oil 2 large onions 25 mls soy sauce 3 garlic cloves Salt and pepper to taste 2 cups of red lentils 4 cups of water (you can add more during the cooking if needed) 1 vegetable stock cube 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon ground cumin Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a medium sized pot; add the onions, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Place over a fairly high flame for about 10 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer until the onions have a slightly sweet taste. Wash the lentils in cold running water. Dissolve the stock cube in a little hot water and then add to the 2 cups of cold water. Combine the water/stock mixture with the lentils and add to the pot. Leave it all to simmer for 40 minutes approximately. After about 10 minutes of simmering, add the turmeric and cumin and stir well. When the lentils are cooked, correct the seasoning. Don’t overcook the lentils! Blitz the soup in a food processor. To serve with the lentil soup, make flat bread croutons. First, cut the flat/pitta bread into small squares. Then put them on a tray and mix them around with a small dash of olive oil so they are evenly covered in oil. Next, put them in a hot oven (190 degrees Celsius) and wait until they get a golden brown color. You will need to take out the tray once or twice to turn the bread squares over so that they get evenly golden. The flat-bread croutons can be served on the side or in the soup with some lemon juice. I hope you enjoy this. Ramadan Mubarak! That means Happy Ramadan in Arabic.

Thanks Reem!