Recipe of the day: Ezogelin chorba - Turkish soup with red lentils, rice and bulgur

Ezogelin chorba is a thick Turkish soup, in which red lentils are combined with rice, fine bulgur, salsa and aromatic spices.

Required products:

1 tea cup of red lentils 2 tablespoons of fine bulgur 2 tablespoons of rice 1 medium-sized onion 2 cloves of garlic 1 tablespoon of tomato paste 1 teaspoon of pepper salsa 2 tablespoons of butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 7 teaspoons hot water or broth 1 teaspoon dried mint 1 teaspoon sweet red pepper 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Salt to taste Lemon juice and hot pepper flakes for serving

Preparation method:

Wash the red lentils, rice and bulgur separately until the water runs clear. Let them drain. Dice the onion into small cubes and mince the garlic. Heat the butter and olive oil in a deep saucepan. Add the onion and sauté until soft. Add the garlic and stir briefly. Add the tomato puree and pepper sauce. Fry for a few minutes, without letting them burn. Add the lentils, rice and bulgur. Pour in the hot water or broth and salt. When the soup boils, reduce the heat. Cook for about 30 minutes with the lid half-open, until all the ingredients are soft. Blend the soup with a hand blender until desired smoothness. If it is too thick, add a little hot water. Add the mint, paprika, cumin and black pepper. Let the soup simmer for about 5 more minutes. Serve the ezogelin soup hot with lemon juice. Optionally, add hot pepper flakes or a drizzle of melted butter with mint.

For a coarser texture, you can skip the blending. Some recipes use only water or broth, while others add both types of sauce.

Sources: hthayat.haberturk.com, yemek.com, lezzet.com.tr