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Sudan

We're traveling back to Africa tonight to visit the war torn country of Sudan. So, we're dedicating the meal to peace and security in this African nation.

Since the weather is finally cooling down, and I can justify making a wintery dish, we're having Shorbet Ads or lentil soup.

I have always been a fan of lentils and this dish did not disappoint.  I followed the recipe exactly which meant that I needed to find the red lentils it calls for (no $.99 bag of those traditional green lentils for me). I located them in a local Ralphs grocery store in the international food aisle.  They were ridiculously expensive but I really did not have a choice. Anyway, they're a great little legume that cooks exceptionally fast and has a beautiful golden color.

The recipe was adapted from www.sudan.net/society/recipe.html  and The African Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania - Sudan: Menus & Recipes From Africa.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Ads Magroosh (split red lentils)
  • 1.5 - 2 quarts chicken stock (homemade is best but good quality store-bought will do)
  • 2 medium onions --chopped (reserve 2 tbsp for topping)
  • 1 medium tomato --chopped
  • 2 medium carrots --chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tsp Cumin
  • Salt/Pepper to taste.

Directions

  1. Chop the vegetables into medium-size chunks
  2. Wash lentils
  3. Put stock into a 4-5 quart pot and bring to boil
  4. Add the onions, carrots, tomato and lentils to stock. Lower the heat to simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender
  5. Puree the mixture in either a food processor or blender and return to pot.
  6. Saute the finely chopped onions in the olive oil until they are soft and brown.
  7. Add the cumin, lemon juice, sauteed onions, salt and pepper to soup and stir slowly over low heat for about 3 minutes 
Rating: 9 out of 10. Light yet comforting soup with just the hint of spice.

Tony --"This is a little watery no?"

Although the soup is definitely on the thin side, you can make it thicker by adding less chicken stock or more lentils. I used 1.5 quarts of stock and thought it was perfect.  I served it with with some Roti (yes I made it two days in a row because I enjoyed it so much). We also didn't follow sharia law and enjoyed the soup with a nice glass of red wine. --I can do that because it's my project and my blog.

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