How to make curried red lentil soup

You may think of lentils as something to store in the back of your pantry until a day when you have lots of time to wait for them to cook. But lentils, especially the red variety (sold in natural foods stores), are surprisingly convenient. They require no pre-soaking and cook up quickly — red lentils in just 20 minutes and brown (or green) lentils in about 30 minutes. Here's how to use lentils in a warming curried red lentil soup.

Preparation time 15 minutes

Cooking time 25 minutes

Serves 8

• 10 ml (2 tsp) canola oil
• 300 g (2 c) chopped onions (2 medium)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 20 to 25 ml (4 to 5 tsp) curry powder
• 350 ml (1 1/2 c) red lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1.5 L (6 c) reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 175 ml (3/4 c) water
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) tomato paste
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) cinnamon
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 125 ml (1/2 c) nonfat plain yogurt
• 50 ml (1/4 c) chopped scallion greens

1. Heat the oil in a large pot or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it has softened, two to three minutes. Add the garlic and curry powder. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the lentils and stir to coat. Add the broth, water, tomato paste and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are very tender, about 20 minutes.
2. In batches, transfer the soup to a food processor or blender and purée. (Use caution when blending hot liquids.) Return the purée to the soup pot and heat through. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Garnish each serving with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of scallion greens. One serving is 250 millilitres (one cup).

The soup will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Per serving: 187 calories, 14 g protein, 29 g carbohydrates, 12 g fibre, 2 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 199 mg sodium.