Description
A hearty and comforting traditional Greek lentil soup known as Fakes, packed with nutritious lentils, aromatic vegetables, and a blend of flavorful herbs and spices. This easy-to-make stew is perfect for warming up any day and offers a delicious vegetarian meal option.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 400 g Lentils (2 Cups) (14 oz)
- 1 medium Carrot
- 1 large Onion
- 1 tsp Tomato paste
- 2–3 Bay leaves
- 3 Chicken or Vegetable stock cubes
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 1 Thyme sprig
- 2 tsp Smoked Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Berbere seasoning (or cayenne pepper)
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 1.7 litres Hot water (57.5 fl.oz) (or 1.2 litres if using a pressure cooker)
- 200 ml Tomato purée (6.8 fl.oz) (can use crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce as alternatives)
Instructions
- Clean the lentils: Rinse the lentils thoroughly under cold water, removing any debris or damaged lentils to ensure a clean soup base.
- Chop vegetables: Peel the onion and carrot, then chop them finely using an electric mixer or food processor for uniform texture.
- Sauté vegetables: Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add the chopped onions and carrots and sauté until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Then stir in the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute to build flavor.
- Add spices and stock: Incorporate the smoked garlic powder, sugar, black pepper, thyme sprig, berbere or cayenne pepper, bay leaves, and stock cubes into the pot, mixing well to combine all spices with the sautéed vegetables.
- Pour liquids: Add the hot water and tomato purée carefully into the pot, stirring everything together to blend the flavors evenly.
- Bring to boil: Increase heat to bring the mixture to a gentle boil, ensuring all ingredients are well combined and beginning to cook thoroughly.
- Simmer the soup: Reduce heat to low and let the soup gently simmer for about 60 minutes, or until lentils are tender and fully cooked. Add extra hot water if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- Season to taste: Taste the soup and adjust seasoning as needed with additional salt, pepper, or spices according to your preference before serving.
Notes
- You can substitute vegetable stock cubes to keep the recipe vegetarian or vegan friendly.
- For a spicier soup, increase the berbere or cayenne pepper amount.
- This soup pairs well with crusty bread or a side salad for a complete meal.
- Leftover soup stores well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and tastes even better the next day as flavors meld.
- Using a pressure cooker reduces cooking time to about 25-30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek
Keywords: Greek lentil soup, Fakes, lentil stew, vegetarian soup, easy lentil recipe
