There’s a little restaurant (like 10 tables!) that my husband and I frequent in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago called Taste of Lebanon. They make the most awesome lentil soup served piping hot. I dare say I’m a bit obsessed with it – and that’s something I rarely say about anything! Even if it’s 100 degrees outside, we order their soup because it’s sooooo good. On many occasions I was tempted to ask for their recipe, but didn’t because I doubted they would give away their secret. One day, my husband asked what I was too afraid/embarrassed to ask, and the server said the flavor we tasted was allspice. I never would have guessed!
Allspice tastes kind of like a combination of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, but with a little curry-type heat added in. I had some whole allspice seeds (they look like large brown-colored peppercorns) that I ground up in a coffee grinder. Since I don’t use allspice often, I prefer to keep the seeds whole and grind right before use to keep them a bit fresher. Although now that I know how to make this soup, I’ll be using a LOT of allspice. Note to self – keep coffee grinder blades sharp!
Many Lebanese lentil soup recipes feature cumin and lemon juice as the star ingredients, but this had neither – and it was still to-die-for delicious! So I ran home and whipped up my own batch. I I added diced sweet onion and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Then I garnished it with cilantro, which I think adds a nice touch. This is so easy to make – all you need to do is chop an onion and 20 minutes later, soup’s on!
1 cup red lentils
1 sweet onion (small dice)
4 cups water
1 – 2 tablespoons ground allspice (depending on how strong you like spice – I used a full 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon powdered garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
chopped cilantro for garnish
Directions
- Saute the onion, allspice, and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the lentils, salt, pepper and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Lentils should be completely cooked.
- Serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro.
Tricia Berkow says
How do you get your soup to look green despite using red lentils?
Thanks!
Amy says
That’s an excellent question that I have no good answer for! The soup at the restaurant is more yellow in color. Somehow, my “red” lentils turned brown when added to the spices, as the allspice is a dark brown and I used a blend of whole peppercorns (red, green and black). So I decided to add a bit of turmeric (less than a teaspoon), thinking that may be how the restaurant achieved the yellow color. But then my soup developed a brownish-greenish hue. I think the light I photographed in may also have a little to do with it. In reality, it looks more brownish than greenish. Anyway, there you have it – no good explanation for the color of the soup, as I expected it to be yellow. But it tastes great no matter what color it turns out to be! Thanks for stopping by, Tricia!
Julia Robbin says
I have been going to Taste of Lebanon for years and am also SO obsessed with the soup (just had it yesterday!). I’ve inquired about the recipe in the past, with no luck, but yesterday I asked again, and they owner listed the ingredients! I couldn’t believe it. He said: water, salt, pepper, allspice, red pepper flakes, olive oil, red lentils. He didn’t say onions, but I think the soup definitely has onions in it and that he just accidentally omitted it. I can’t believe there isn’t any stock in it, it’s so rich and delicious! How close is your recipe to the restaurant soup?
Amy says
Isn’t their soup the BEST??!! I’m surprised they don’t use onions or garlic. That seems to be the main difference between their recipe and mine. What I can’t figure out is how they keep the color of their soup such a vibrant yellow. As soon as I add in the allspice, which is brown, it turned everything from yellow to brown. Maybe I’m just adding more than they do. I really don’t care about the color so much as that fragrant allspice flavor! Thanks for stopping by, Julia.
DJ says
Omg! I love their lentil soup too! I might go there today lol!Dj
Did yours taste similar? I’m gonna try it. Thx!
Amy says
Yes – their soup is THE best! My recipe is pretty darn close, so give it a try. Thanks For stopping by!
Debra says
Thanks for this… I’m in love with their soup too. One thing I’ve noticed is that they soak their lentils to the point of sprouting. I wonder if that affects the flavor. Also the onions seem to blended into the soup? There are no perceptible onion pieces.
Amy says
I think you’re right about blending the onion and sprouting the lentils. I’m definitely going to try that the next time I make this soup. Thanks so much for stopping by!