This Vegan Red Lentil Soup recipe is a staple in the Middle Eastern diet. In fact, most Middle Eastern cultures have their own version of this hearty lentil soup.
Assyrians call this soup "Tlokheh," while in Arabic it is called "Aadas." Mom cooked this soup at least once a week, it was one of her favorites.
She would usually prepare it on Wednesday and have it again on Friday; the two days she would abstain from eating meat.
Mom's Red Lentil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium potato (diced)
- 1 cup red lentil
- 1/4 cup rice
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 1/2 cup vermicelli noodles
- 1 T tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 T curry
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
Directions
Rinse rice to remove excess starch. Wash lentil and strain. Dice the potato and add to a pot, along with the lentil and rice. Add 3 cups of water.
Bring the contents of the pot to a boil. Lower the temperature, then simmer, covered, for approximately 20 minutes until most of the water has been absorbed.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and vermicelli noodles until the onion is soft and the noodles are brown.
Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan, along with one cup of water. Stir until it all comes together.
Add the saucepan ingredients to the rice, potato, and lentil mixture, along with two cups of water. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
If the soup gets too thick, just add more water until it reaches the desired consistency.
Traditional Vegan Red Lentil Soup
The following ingredients are almost always present in this soup:
- Red Lentils
- Rice
- Vermicelli Noodles
Fun little fact, did you know that "vermicelli" means "little worms" in Italian?
The spice combination used in the soup varies depending on the region, including the following:
- Turmeric
- Curry
- Cumin
My mom's version has curry, paprika, and cayenne pepper, for a little extra kick. Mom also liked to add diced potatoes, which isn't traditional. However, I think potatoes are a great addition; they make the soup even more filling.
Serving Suggestions
To be honest, this soup is so filling that you don't really need to serve it with anything else. Especially the way my mom prepared it, with the addition of potatoes.
However, some freshly baked pita bread and pickled sunchokes on the side couldn't hurt!
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Vegan Red Lentil and Curry Soup recipe (Tlokheh/Aadas)
Ingredients
- 1 medium potato (diced)
- 1 cup red lentil
- ¼ cup rice
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 small onion
- ½ cup vermicelli noodles
- 1 T tomato paste
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 T curry
- 1 ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse rice to remove excess starch. Wash lentil and strain. Dice the potato and add to a pot, along with the lentil and rice. Add 3 cups of water.
- Bring the contents of the pot to a boil. Lower the temperature, then simmer, covered, for approximately 20 minutes until most of the water has been absorbed.
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan, and sauté the onion and vermicelli noodles until the onion is soft and the noodles are brown.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan, along with one cup of water. Stir until it all comes together.
- Add the saucepan ingredients to the rice, potato, and lentil mixture, along with two cups of water. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- If the soup gets too thick, just add more water until it reaches the desired consistency.
Nutrition
This post was originally posted on May 28, 2017. It was updated on April 3, 2020, by adding more process mages.
Andrea says
Help me out - You pre-cook the vermicelli noodles and then pan fry them with the onion? They're not dried/raw, right?
HildaSterner says
Hi Andrea,
You fry the vermicelli, along with the onions. The vermicelli noodles are dry (they are very fine & come in either coils or broken into sections that are approximately 2” long). If using the coiled variety, break them up before frying. They turn brown when they’re fried and soften once you add the water/tomato paste mixture. I hope that answers your question.
AnninNY says
Hilda, I can't wait to try your recipes to see if they will work for our Middle Eastern soup benefit for local refugee families. I think your mother is beautiful.
HildaSterner says
Hi Ann,
Thanks for the comment. I can't wait to hear how it goes, what a sweet cause! And yes, my mom was something else. She glowed like an angel!