Lentil Soup with Caraway, Coriander and Minted Yogurt

Inspired by my initial foray into Indian cooking, I've decided to make this Indian-inspired dish which was published in this month's Saveur magazine. It comes from a recipe in River Cottage Everyday and flavors red lentils with caraway and coriander. And in addition to getting some health benefits from eating this yummy soup, your house will turn incredible fragrant in the process. I've been making some time-consuming recipes recently, but this one is quick and requires minimal clean-up. I made the soup in my trusty dutch oven and used the immersion blender to purée it. Pretty simple.  

Lentil Soup with Caraway and Minted Yogurt (Published in Saveur Magazine, March 2011)

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 tbsp. canola oil

2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

2 tsp. coriander seeds, toasted and finely ground

1 tsp. caraway seeds, toasted and finely ground

2 cloves garlic, crushed

6 cups vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

5 tbsp. Greek yogurt

2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint

Toasted flat bread or pita, for serving

Directions

1. Heat oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add coriander, caraway, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Add stock and lentils and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft, 15–20 minutes.

2. Transfer soup to a food processor or blender and, working in batches, purée until smooth. Return soup to the pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.

3. To garnish, stir together yogurt and some of the mint in a bowl; set aside for 10 minutes to marry flavors. Divide soup between 6 bowls, top with a dollop of the yogurt, and sprinkle with the remaining mint. Serve soup with flat bread.