Kurdish Lentil Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups lentils
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (optional)
1/2 cup vermicelli
2 tablespoons olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (optional)

Preparation

Put shelled yellow or red lentils in a medium heavy pot, and cover with cold water by 3 or 4 inches (about 10 cups).
Bring to a quick boil, skimming froth as needed.
Lower heat to low and let simmer, covered, until lentils are thoroughly cooked, about 30 minutes.
For a creamy texture, whisk the mixture with a whip until smooth, a few minutes.
Add salt, black pepper, curry powder, and broken vermicelli noodles.
Stir well.
Keep simmering and stir occasionally to prevent soup from sticking to the bottom of the pot until soup is nicely thickened, about 15 minutes.