Shorbat Adas Iraqi Lentil Soup
Red lentils and rice with cumin, turmeric and ghee-cooked onion.
Preparation: 10 min · Cooking: 35 min · Total: 50 min · 2 servings
Ingredients
- Small onion, finely chopped — 0.5
- 0.5 tsp Ground cumin
- 120 ml Dry red lentils, rinsed
- 2 tbsp Dry short-grain rice, rinsed
- 0.5 tsp Ground turmeric
- 720 ml Initial soup water
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- Salt, to taste
- Additional boiling water, only if needed; measure additions (optional)
- Fresh lemon wedges, separately served (optional)
Instructions
Measure and rinse grains
Measure the base 120 ml dry red lentils and 2 tbsp short-grain rice before rinsing. These grains cook directly in the soup; no separate precooking water is part of the formula.
Add initial soup water
Place rinsed lentils, rice and the measured 720 ml water in a deep pot for the base two servings.
Bring to a boil
Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove foam carefully with a suitable spoon.
Simmer until soft
Reduce to medium-low heat and cover with the normal lid. Check from about 25 minutes until rice and lentils are cooked and soft; use measured conditional boiling water if drying.
Simmer until soft: 1500 seconds
Whisk carefully
Whisk carefully from about 1 minute to break up softened lentils, protecting against splashes. Smoothness is a texture preference, not a cooking guarantee.
Whisk carefully: 60 seconds
Optional smooth blending
For an optional smoother texture, take the pot off heat and use only a heat-rated immersion blender. Keep its head submerged before switching on; no sealed hot-liquid blender is prescribed.
Season the soup
Stir the measured cumin, turmeric and salt to taste into the warm soup.
Melt measured ghee
Melt the single measured ghee allowance over medium heat in a separate small skillet.
Cook the onion
Add the chopped half small onion for the base two servings. Cook over medium heat, checking from about 5 minutes until golden without blackening.
Cook the onion: 300 seconds
Let bubbling subside
Take the soup off heat briefly and let bubbling subside. Keep your face away from the surface.
Fold in onions gently
Fold the onion and its measured ghee gently into the soup close to the surface. Avoid deliberately splashing hot fat into bubbling liquid.
Finish simmering
Return to low heat and simmer from about 3 minutes to combine flavours. Adjust thickness only with the separately listed conditional water.
Finish simmering: 180 seconds
Serve with optional lemon
Serve hot with optional separately listed lemon wedges. No fixed final soup volume is promised after absorption and evaporation.
Cool rice leftovers quickly
For leftovers containing rice, divide promptly into shallow portions. Cool and refrigerate quickly, aiming within 1 hour at 4°C or colder; use within 24 hours and reheat once to 74°C throughout.
Store safely
Cool promptly in shallow portions and refrigerate, aiming within 1 hour, at 4°C or colder. Use within 24 hours. This is a selected conservative household limit, not a validated shelf life.
Tips
- Ingredient quantities scale exactly; instruction amounts describe the base 2 servings. Cup = 240 ml, tbsp = 15 ml and tsp = 5 ml. Times are first checks, not readiness guarantees; use manageable batches and suitable vessels.
Common mistakes
- Keep raw meat and raw flour dough separate from ready-to-eat food. Do not taste raw dough, grain shells or meat. Distinguish initial liquid, discarded process water, derived broth and conditional additions.
Substitutions
- Only alternatives explicitly listed in this ingredient formula are included; do not restore ingredients from an older draft.
Storage
Cool promptly in shallow portions and refrigerate, aiming within 1 hour, at 4°C or colder. Use within 24 hours. This is a selected conservative household limit, not a validated shelf life.
Reheating
Reheat only the portion needed, at most once, to 74°C throughout. Check meat, filling and any soaked bread centres; rice leftovers must have been cooled quickly and used within 24 hours.
About this recipe
Shorbat Adas Iraqi Lentil Soup is presented as the owner's Iraqi household version. Specific ancient origins, health benefits and exclusive regional claims have not been independently authenticated.
Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.