Egyptian Red Lentil Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

5 cups vegetable broth or 5 cups water
1 cup dried red lentils
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped potatoes
8 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper

Preparation

Add the first 5 ingredients to a large pot; cover and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer 15-20 minutes or until the lentils and veggies are tender.
Take pot from stove burner and set aside.
In a small saucepan, add the oil; warm over low heat until the oil is hot but not smoking.
Add in the cumin, turmeric, and salt; cook and stir constantly for for 2-3 minutes or until the cumin has released its fragrance (be careful not to scorch the spices).
Set spice mixture aside for 1 minute to cool.
Stir spice mixture into the lentil mixture; add cilantro, stir to combine.
You can puree the soup, in batches, in a blender OR you can use an immersion blender and blend to desired texture (I like to leave it a little chunky).
Add in lemon juice; stir to combine.
Rewarm soup in soup pot; season if needed with salt/pepper.