A warming lemon lentil soup (adas bi hamod) made with lentils and vegetables in a lemony broth. This is a vegan and gluten-free soup.
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Lentils are a highly prized food within the Lebanese diet. We have so many recipes that call for the use of lentils, there is another Lebanese lentil soup that I absolutely adore, this version uses red lentils.
This Lebanese soup is loved by so many and is very popular during Ramadan and Lent (the perfect lenten soup!). We call it ‘adas bi hamod’ which translates to ‘lentils in lemon’ or ‘lentils in sour’.
I, however, like to enjoy this lentil soup anytime, especially when I am feeling a little under the weather.
It’s warming, wholesome, filling yet light. It’s packed full of good stuff.
Other Lebanese lentil recipes worth checking out include; mujadara (lentils and rice), mujadara hamra (lentils and burghul), mujadara makhbousa (lentil porridge) or Lebanese stuffed capsicums. All of these make also make perfect lenten meals.
Also, it’s worth noting that silverbeet, aka selek in Arabic, is also a widely used vegetable, check out my vegan Lebanese stuffed silverbeet leaves or black-eyed beans with silverbeet.
😋Why you’ll love this recipe
- Filled with mostly whole foods
- Easy to cook using easy ingredients
- Can be made ahead and reheated as needed
- It’s both vegan and gluten free
- Adults and kids love it
- Can be easily adapted to be oil free
✔️What You’ll Need
🥘Ingredient Notes
Lentils either dry* or canned can be used, you can use brown or green lentils. Be sure to drain them before adding them to this soup.
If using dry, you will need to sort them out first, rinse and then cook them prior to adding to the soup or cook the soup for longer until they are tender. It’s fairly easy.
If using canned, use organic lentils where possible.
Potatoes - the starch from the potatoes will help to thicken this vegan lentil soup. Dice potato evenly. Got excess potatoes? Try making my vegan potato and leek soup.
Silverbeet, aka, swiss chard can be any type - large or rainbow. I’ve used both, they are equally delicious.
Slice silverbeet into bite-sized pieces. Use both the stalk and the leaves.
N.B., rainbow chard will turn this soup a lightish deep pink.
Onion with white or brown onion will work well. Dice up small.
Garlic is a key flavour, you can add more if you’re a garlic lover. Garlic can be crushed or thinly sliced.
Coriander aka cilantro is another key flavouring, feel free to add more if you like. Finely chop up the coriander leaves and stalks.
Lemon juice should be freshly squeezed it is the main flavouring of this lemon lentil soup.
Olive oil can be swapped out with avocado oil if you prefer, or leave it out completely and use water to sweat onions.
Salt my go-to is Himalayan salt* as a little goes a long way and it has many health benefits too.
🔪Step-By-Step Guide
Step 1 Over medium heat, in a stockpot, add olive and onion and sweat until softened. Add in garlic and lentils, stir for about a minute.
Step 2 Add potatoes, water and salt, stir through. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes to allow the potatoes to soften.
Step 3 Add silverbeet (swiss chard) and coriander (cilantro), turn heat to a low-medium and cook for about 20 minutes.
Step 4 Turn off heat and stir through lemon juice. Serve warm.
💭Pro Tips
Using canned lentils speeds up the cooking process, which in turn helps the vegetables to retain more nutrients as they are cooked for less.
Bunches of silverbeet (chard) can vary in size, hence you may need to adjust the amount of water by ½ a cup or so at a time. If adjusting, be sure to do a taste test and adjust the salt and lemon too.
It is also worth noting that once cooked, silverbeet will wilt to a fraction of what it used to be.
Storage - once the lemon lentil soup is completely cooled, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Or, freeze it in an airtight container for up to three months.
🍳Variations
Silverbeet (Swiss chard) can be replaced with spinach if you can’t obtain silverbeet.
Sometimes I like to add a pinch of Lebanese 7 spice.
❓FAQ
If you are using canned lentils, the answer is no. If you are using dried brown/green lentils, it is optional to soak the lentils once you have sorted them out - this will quicken the soup cooking process.
However, you can add dry lentils into the soup (straight after sweating the onions and garlic) then adding the water and cooking them until parboiled before adding all your other vegetables.
Green / brown lentils hold their shape once boiled.
Red / yellow lentils do not need soaking before placing into soup, they will dissolve easily and turn creamy. Red / yellow lentils generally do not hold their shape.
🍴Serving suggestions
This lentil lemon soup can be enjoyed as a meal in itself or with freshly made dinner rolls or damper or as a starter.
Either way, serve it with extra lemon wedges for allowing people to add extra lemon if wanted.
🥘Related recipes
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Janelle x
📖 Recipe
Lemon Lentil Soup (Adas bi Hamod)
Ingredients
- ½ cup Lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 cup Brown lentils or green. Cooked
- 1 bunch Silverbeet (swiss chard) leaves chopped and salks sliced
- 4 cloves Garlic crushed
- 3 medium Potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 medium Onion diced
- 1 tablespoon Salt or to taste
- 8 cups Water
- ¼ cup Coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
Instructions
- Over medium heat, in a stockpot, add olive and onion and sweat until softened. Add in garlic and lentils, stir for about a minute.1 cup Brown lentils, 3 medium Potatoes
- Add potatoes, water and salt, stir through. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes to allow the potatoes to soften.1 medium Onion, 1 tablespoon Salt, 4 cloves Garlic
- Add silverbeet (swiss chard) and coriander (cilantro), turn heat to a low-medium and cook for about 20 minutes.1 bunch Silverbeet, 8 cups Water
- Turn off heat and stir through lemon juice. Serve warm.½ cup Lemon juice
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