
Since I found my favourite recipe for lentil curry, I have been eager to turn it into a soup. All those spices and aromas pureed and served into a bowl with some crusty bread and a generous squeeze of lemon, it’s just perfect on a winter’s day. This soup is great. It’s very easy to prepare and incredibly hearty and filling. Red lentils, cooked with spices like cumin and mustard seeds then finished off with creamy coconut milk, fresh coriander leaves and lemon juice. I used my Thermomix for this recipe (instructions at the end), but you can easily cook it on the stove.

Spiced Lentil Soup with Coriander and Coconut Milk
A lentil curry, turned into a soup. This vegan recipe is in my hall of fame. I love lentils in any form and this soup has all the aromas and spices needed, to warm you up on a winter's day. Make it as thick or thin as you want by adding water or coconut milk.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 medium onion chopped (about 100 grams)
- 1 ½ cup (270 grams) red lentils
- 1 red or green chilli deseeded and chopped
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- 2 ½ cups (570 grams) water
- 400 ml can coconut milk
- 1 cup fresh coriander leaves chopped (30 grams)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large pot, put the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and cook stirring, until seeds are fragrant and slightly darker in colour. Mustard seeds will turn grey and begin to pop. Add the chopped onion, lower the heat to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally until onion is soft.
- Add the lentils to the pot together with the chilli, turmeric, chilli powder and water. Bring to boil and simmer covered for about 15 minutes, until lentils are cooked through.
- Add the coconut milk and coriander leaves. Cook for 2 minutes longer. Season soup with salt and pepper. Stir in the lemon juice and serve.
Notes
You can pulse the soup two or three times in the food processor to make it less chunky, but don’t overdo it. It’s nice to “feel’ the lentils in your mouth.